Chai Spice Cupcakes

I'm still alive...I promise! Life has been moving at breakneck speed for me lately. I have been busy at work. Busy baking, baking, baking. Baking cinnamon rolls, cinnamon swirl bread, buns, muffins, scones, berry crisps, cookies, bagels, pita bread, cake and cupcakes. Recently, I baked about 125 of these scrumptious Chai Spice Cupcakes. These were a huge hit. They are laced with mini chocolate chips as well as bold and fragrant chai spices and chai tea. They are topped off with a delicious swirl of cinnamon chocolate buttercream frosting. Yum!

I found this recipe over at The Sweetest Kitchen. They used a chocolate cinnamon ganache frosting on top but I was feeling lazy so I went with the butter cream for this time. I'll try the ganache next time.

Please click HERE for the recipe. Trust me, you won't want to pass these up! ;)

Hope you all are having a wonderful week.






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Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

As some of you know I recently attempted to go gluten-free to see if it would help with some digestive issues I was suffering from. I managed to avoid anything with gluten for about a month. I have added it back into my diet now and it seems to be going just fine. Maybe my body needed a break. Hmmm.

Last week at work we needed a recipe for a gluten-free dessert. I knew just where to find a good one. I cruised on over to visit Karina at Gluten Free Goddess and sure enough I found this lovely lemon yogurt cake. It uses rice flour and almond flour in place of wheat flour. It's moist and delicious and best of all it's a snap to make...always a good thing. My only change to the original recipe was the substitution of white rice flour for sweet rice flour.

Hop on over HERE for the recipe. Even if you aren't on a gluten-free diet I know you'll love this cake! ;0)

Hope you all are having a terrific week! Thanks for stopping by to visit.






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Simple Raspberry Cake

Some days can be overwhelming. Some days I wonder if I will ever get a post up on my blog. Some days I wonder if I should quit blogging all together. Just when I start to think this way I take a peek back over the past two plus years of posts and I see just how far I've come and how much I've learned and how much I've cooked and grilled and baked and... and then I realize I must press on. I must "Keep on Bloggin'". Do you ever get to feeling this way?



I stumbled onto a recipe over at Martha's place for Raspberry-Almond Blondies. Well, I am completely crazy for raspberries so I thought I'd give it a go. I decided to go with toasted pecans instead of the almonds. No real reason...just because... Now I don't mean to question Martha but I have to tell you, this recipe didn't come out much like blondies. It is really more of a cake. Maybe even a breakfast-y kind of cake.



One thing I can tell you for sure, it is scrumptious! And so very simple to throw together. Give it a try if you have time. You'll love it!

Simple Raspberry Cake
adapted from marthastewart.com

serves about 9

Print recipe

9 tbsp softened butter
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted chopped pecans plus 1/4 cup for topping
1 pint fresh raspberries
Confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray oil a 8x8 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down sides with spatula as needed. Fold in pecans.

Spread batter into baking dish. Scatter berries and pecans over top of batter and press gently into top of batter. Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but not wet. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan. Carefully remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired. Cut into squares.

Have a fabulous week!!






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Luscious Lime Curd

I've been wanting to make lemon curd for quite some time now. Yes, I realize the title says lime curd...I'm getting to that. Lemon curd has been on my list. The "Things I'd Like to Make if Only I Can Get Up the Nerve" list. For some reason I've always thought it would be difficult to make. Cooking eggs for purposes other than my breakfast eating pleasure has always intimidated me just a bit.

I've been put in charge of desserts at my new job so I've had dessert on the brain nearly 24/7. I decided it was high time to face my lemon curd fears. I did a little searching on my trusty laptop and I ran across this article on making lemon curd. I read through and thought, "Hey, I actually think I can do this!". I have a fun little dessert cookbook called The Lady Had Seconds that I found some time ago on consignment at a homeschool bookstore. It was only a few bucks but it's filled with so many wonderfully scrumptious recipes. One of the recipes is for Lime Curd. Lime Curd? Now that sounds zippy!


Ya know what?! Making Lime Curd is easy peasy. If you haven't ventured into curd territory, you really should. Don't be afraid. You can do it!

Lime Curd
adapted from The Lady Had Seconds

Print recipe

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tsp freshly grated lime zest
pinch of salt
8 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in the eggs slowly, and then add the lemon juice, zest and salt. The mixture will look curdled. Don't panic, it will be alright. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened (do not boil), 3 to 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature, whisking frequently. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I served my lime curd over these cupcakes (flipped upside down) with sweetened whipping cream and fresh fruit. This is such a wonderful dessert for spring and summer. :)

Hope you all are enjoying your week!






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blackberry apple almond spelt mini bundts ...and a winner

I've been experimenting with spelt flour once again. This time I combined it with a bit of almond flour. Bob's Red Mill carries the most beautiful almond flour! I love baking with it, it adds such nice texture and flavor. I had a bag of organic frozen blackberries left from my recent shopping spree at Whole Foods and a produce drawer filled with way too many apples, so both of these went into the mix as well.



I was all set to make muffins when I remembered I hadn't yet tried out my new mini bundt pan. Isn't it the cutest?! I went on a tiny shopping spree at Target recently and picked up a few springy things. It's been raining every gosh darn day for weeks now and I needed a little pick me up. At least we haven't had any baseball sized hail to deal with. Yikes!



I was worried my sweet little cakes would stick to the pan but with a bit of patience and a butter knife they popped out quite easily. Don't you hate it when you put time and energy...and money into making something yummy in your kitchen and it flops in the end? I'm happy to report, this recipe is no flop. In fact, these baby bundts are incredibly moist and ever so tasty. I can't wait to bake up another batch. :)



Here, try a bite!

Blackberry Apple Almond Spelt Mini Bundts
by theUngourmet

Makes 16 mini bundts

Print recipe

1 cup almond flour
1 3/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup almond milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 small apple peeled and shredded
1 cup frozen blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan or muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, vanilla, almond milk, oil and apple.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in blackberries.

Fill bundt pan 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow pan to cool for about 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around edges of each bundt cake and carefully remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.

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I also wanted to announce the winner of Lisa's wonderful lotion bar, Nourished Skin. :)

Random.org chose lucky number 24. Congrats to Patty!!

Email me your shipping info and I will send it on over to Lisa asap.

Have a terrific week my friends!

P.S. Stay tuned for a fun wine tote giveaway...coming up soon!!






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St Paddy's Day Cupcakes

Today I headed over to Bob's Red Mill Store to see if I could pick up a few gluten free flours. While I was there I spotted their cake mixes and decided to give the Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix a try. I was a bit skeptical. I've tried the gluten free pancake mix and didn't care much for the texture. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This cake mix is fantastic. It bakes up light and moist and has a rich chocolate taste. I would eat this even if I wasn't trying to cut out gluten. It's made with garbanzo bean flour. I didn't tell my kids this fact until after their first bite. ;)



I followed the recipe on the package except for one change. I used strong coffee instead of water for a mocha cupcake. I used almond milk and Smart Balance as well so this recipe is gluten and dairy free. The frosting is a basic creamy white with peppermint and vanilla extracts.

I hope you can find this mix over your way. Pick it up if you can, you'll love it!

Have a fun St Paddy's Day!






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Mini Cat in the Hat Cupcakes and a Winner!

March 2nd we celebrate the birthday of the marvelously creative Dr. Seuss. Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904. Kids from 1 to 101 continue to be filled with delight while reading the likes of Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish, Two Fish, Horton Hears a Who, The Grinch, The Lorax... Over the years my kids and I have snuggled up on the sofa together, diving head first into the wacky and whimsical world of Dr. Seuss.

I found this fun Cat in the Hat cupcake idea while visiting Gordon Gossip. Our cupcakes turned out a bit droopy compared to the ones over there. We plan on attempting them again tomorrow. ;)

Which Dr. Seuss book is your favorite?

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I also wanted to congratulate Holly at the Peppered Pantry. Holly you are lucky number 21 and the proud owner of a fun new beach bag from Simply Bags. Email me with your color preference, what you'd like embroidered on your bag and your shipping info and I'll get it over to Simply Bags. ;)


So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads. -Dr. Seuss

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you. -Dr.Seuss

Be sure to hop over and take a peek at Seussville, it's a fun and silly website to hang out and explore.




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orange creamsicle cupcakes...and a winner!

I've been exploring new cupcake flavors for my Cupcake Academy menu and I came up with these fun Orange Creamsicle cupcakes. My son gave me a hand with the mixing and baking. Such a great little baker! ;)


These cupcakes are made with a basic vanilla cake recipe with orange soda and grated orange zest added into the mix. I also added a few drops of orange food coloring. The orange flavor is fairly mild. I think next time I will also add orange extract for a bolder orange flavor. I used a creamy vanilla frosting to top these off. I think these gingham liners are too much fun, don't you?!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
by theUngourmet

Makes 12-14 cupcakes

Print recipe

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup baker's sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
1 tbsp grated orange zest
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup
1/2 cup orange soda

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and orange zest. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and soda in three additions. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

Evenly fill lined cups with batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsalted, room temperature butter
2 tsp clear vanilla extract
2 tbsp half and half or cream

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter. Add the vanilla and cream and mix until creamy. Add more sugar or cream as needed.

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After adding up all of the blog and fb followers and running the trusty Random Generator..... Annette is the lucky winner! Yay! I can't wait to get your goodies out to you. Email me your info and I'll mail it out asap.


There are more chances to win coming up soon. Stay tuned for a fun and springy Chico Bag giveaway! ;)

Have a terrific weekend!






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valentine cake and a lovely blog birthday giveaway

My how time flies! It seems like just yesterday my daughter was sitting in her high chair happily playing with wooden spoons and spatulas while I prepared dinner. Yesterday we signed her up for high school (starting next fall)! It's also amazing to me that it has been two years since I began my blogging journey. I've learned so much and made so many friends. It's fun to look back at some of my first posts and find comments from fellow bloggers I still hear from and visit to this day. You are so dear to me and I value your friendship so much. It's great to see how we've all grown as time has gone by. I was just thinking that I will feel a bit of sadness and loss when one of us quits blogging and we lose touch, never having met in person. I guess that's how it goes with blogging.


Anyway, I wanted to throw I little party over here, complete with chocolate cake and these fun gifts! I am giving away an hors d'oeuvre cookbook full of great photos and tasty recipes, a tin box of cute kitchen sticky notes, a fabulously bright and springy dish towel from Crate and Barrel, and best of all, a pair of cupcake earrings designed especially for theUngourmet by one of my favorite designers, Molly the Pirate!


Let's take a closer look at these cuties!! Of course I had to have a pair as well. Luckily Molly had enough beads to make an extra pair. ;) I just love them! Be sure to pay a visit to Molly's Etsy Shop, you will fall in love!


So, help yourself to a slice of cake and put your entry in.

Follow my blog for one entry. Follow me on Facebook for an extra entry.

I will keep this giveaway open until Wednesday February 9th. I will then use Random Generator to pick one lucky winner. This giveaway is open to all of you, no matter where you live....well, unless you live on Venus or Mars. ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Weekend!






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valentine cupcakes

As I was poking around the internet for Valentine cupcake inspiration, I ran across these lovely little bites of heaven over at Joy the Baker.

Normally I am a "scrape off 1/2 of the frosting to get to the cake" kind of girl but... This frosting has a secret ingredient. An ingredient so completely irresistible I couldn't help but eat every last bite and even steal a nibble...or five from the mixing bowl. Can you guess what the secret ingredient might be??



It's Ovaltine! I chose the Chocolate Malt flavor for my frosting. Joy doesn't specify so I'm thinking maybe she used the Classic Malt Ovaltine. I'm sure either one would be fantastic.

The cake recipe is so darn good as well. In fact, I think it's my favorite one yet.

Here is my adapted version of Joy's recipe.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate (Ovaltine) Buttercream Frosting
~adapted from Joy the Baker

makes 24 cupcakes

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups baker's sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with 24 liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and vanilla. In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar 3 or 4 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each addition.

With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures in three batches. When the batter is almost combined, turn off the mixture and finish mixing by hand.

Evenly divide batter into cupcake pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick or cake tester inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Ovaltine Frosting
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Chocolate Malt Ovaltine

Cream the butter, cocoa powder and salt. Turn off mixture and scrape down sides of bowl. Add the confectioner's sugar. With mixer on low speed, mix the sugar while slowly adding the milk and vanilla. Raise speed to medium and beat until smooth. In a small bowl, mix together the cream and Ovaltine and slowly add to the mixer bowl in a steady stream until you reach the desired consistency. (You may not need all of the cream and Ovaltine mixture.)

Now get busy frosting your yummy cupcakes!

Print recipe

I know you'll love these! ;)

Happy Sunday!






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peppermint mocha cupcakes

I had a picture in my mind of how the day would unfold. We would get up early and head out to the snowy woods to cut down our Christmas tree and then I would bake up some scrumptious cupcakes. The frosting would be piped onto the cupcakes and lovely chocolate curls would adorn my perfectly swirled frosting. Oh yes, and we would also find the perfect tree with our five dollar permit. Well, as we all know...we can make lots of plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands.


We picked up our permit at the ranger station. We hiked into the snowy forest. We shivered. We moaned. We slipped and tripped. We giggled and threw a few snowballs. Finally, we gave up and stopped at a tree farm. What do you know! They were overloaded with large Noble Firs and needed to get rid of them, so any tree on the farm was only fifteen bucks. Score!!


I wasn't quite as fortunate with my cupcakes. Have you ever tried to use a baggie or an empty bread bag for your frosting. No? Well, let me give you a little advice. Don't Even Try It! It won't work! It will suck, in fact. You will spend time and effort filling the bag only to have your lovely frosting burst through the seams right as you begin to frost your first cupcake. Save yourself a lot of silent screaming (because you don't want to swear in front of your precious offspring) and head to the store for authentic pastry bags! I gave up on my dream of frosting perfection. I grabbed a butter knife and smeared the stuff on. Oh yes, and my chocolate swirls...more of a chocolate shaving.

I have to say, even though the icing didn't come out as beautifully as I'd hoped...These Truly Rock! The mocha cupcakes are incredibly light and moist and the peppermint icing is completely creamy and delightful.

Our day may not always begin exactly the way we've planned, but don't lose heart. It may end up much sweeter than we ever could have dreamed. ;)

Have a lovely week my friends!

peppermint mocha muffins
by theungourmet

makes approx. 16 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 cup boiling water
1/1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup baker's sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners. Lightly spray with oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder and boiling water. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down sides with a spatula as neeeded. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat just until moist. Add the cocoa mixture just until combined.

Fill liners 2/3 full and bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Peppermint Frosting

1/2 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
2-3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1-2 tbsp milk (maybe more)

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth, adding more milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Top cupcakes with dark chocolate shavings and peppermint pillows.

YuMmO!

Print recipe





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