Time To Catch Up A Little

When the power finally came on this weekend I got to work.  By the end of the day I had made 36 Valentine's Day cupcakes.  A few weeks ago I found the cutest little cupcake boxes at Micheal's and instantly I knew I was going to make cupcakes for Valentine's Day.  I was exhausted by the time the 36th cupcake was frosted but I quickly felt better when I saw how pretty the cupcakes were packaged up in these fabulous boxes.

I passed the treats out to close friends and family.  I also shared them with the ladies on my hockey team.  Most people just commented on how pretty the cupcakes looked, but I think they tasted good to.  When I had one on Saturday evening I felt like the cupcake was a little dry, maybe I over cooked them a little.  However, last night, two days later, I had the last one and it was moist and delicious.


Now, 24 of the cupcakes were Red Velvet with Buttercream frosting.  The other 12 were Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip, at an impressive 140 calories each with frosting.  I topped them with a Low Sugar Cream Cheese frosting.

They look like a real cupcake!:)  They don't taste to bad either, especially if you are diabetic and its either this or nothing. 

Here are all the recipes in case anyone wants to spend a Saturday baking cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

Yields 24 cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 jar red gel-paste food color
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp distilled white vinegar
• Buttercream frosting

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

2.  With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

3.  Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

4.  Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5.  Frost cupcakes with a piping bag fitted with a 1M or 2A tip Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

·       3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

·       pinch of salt

·       1 tbsp clear vanilla extract

·       2 lbs confectioner sugar, sifted

·       6 tbsp heavy cream or milk

Directions

1.   In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy.

2.  Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

3.  Add salt, vanilla, and cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is nice and smooth.

Sugar Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcake

·       1 cup all-purpose flour

·       1/3 cup  unsweetened cocoa

·       1 tsp baking soda

·       ½ tsp  salt

·       2/3 cup Splenda no calorie

·       ¼ cup  butter, softened

·       ½ cup carton egg

·       1 tsp vanilla

·       ½ cup buttermilk

·       2 oz dark chocolate

For the icing

·       8 oz cream cheese

·       10 oz Cool Whip   

·       ¼ cup Splenda no calorie

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350°. 

2.  To make the frosting bring cream cheese to room temperature.  Blend with a mixer until smooth.  Blend in whip cream and splenda.

3.  Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir together well.

4.  Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes.

5.  Add egg and vanilla, beating well, I found the mixture doesn’t quite come together well but once the flour was in it was okay.

6.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to granulated sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in chocolate.

7.  Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with muffin cup liners.

8.  Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

9.  Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Top with low sugar cream cheese icing.

ENJOY!