Cupcake Friday- Watermelon Cupcakes

There’s been a lot of celebrating here at Casa de Santillan. Son #2 turned 18 and my husband and I just celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. While searching for cake recipes to help celebrate these milestones I ran across this recipe for Watermelon Cupcakes on the bakerette.com site. I thought these adorable cupcakes would be perfect for a spring or summer birthday celebration and decided to share with our readers.

Photo courtesy of bakerette.com

Author: Bakerette.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Food coloring

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla with an electric beater on medium speed.
4. Add food coloring to make a pink watermelon color. I used red food coloring with a small amount of yellow.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared cupcake tins about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow to cool completely using your favorite buttercream frosting. Add green food coloring to the frosting.

 

Be sure to check out the other crafts and recipes on bakerette.com.

Happy Snacking,

Suzanne Santillan

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Cake Friday: Lemonade Layer Cake

It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe for Cake Friday, but when I saw the recipe for this Lemonade Layer Cake on myrecipes.com I knew I had to share. If you’ve been a reader of our blog for any amount of time, you may have heard me mention my allergy to chocolate. It’s yummy treats like this that help me not miss chocolate so much.

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.
3. Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Happy Baking,

Suzanne Santillan

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Cake Friday: Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

We have been experiencing some pretty warm temperatures around here lately and that has me wishing for some crisp fall weather. It’s simply too hot to turn on the oven right now, but that doesn’t stop me from dreaming about cake.

I found this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake on the Martha Stewart website. Yum! I think this recipe will be just the thing when those cooler temperatures and crisp nights come around.

Ingredients

• For The Cake

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree

• For The Honey Frosting

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1 bar (8 ounces) regular (or reduced-fat) cream cheese, very soft
  • 1/4 cup honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
3. Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.
4. Make Honey Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.
5. Spread top of cooled cake with honey frosting. Cut cake into squares to serve.

Cook’s Note

You can also use a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan: Increase baking time by 25 to 30 minutes (tent loaf with foil if it browns too quickly).

Happy Baking,

Suzanne Santillan

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Cake Friday: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

My cousin Kim sent me this recipe for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and I can’t wait to try it out. Since I’m allergic to chocolate, I love looking for new and interesting cinnamon flavored treats to eat. I’m a huge fan of snicker doodle cookies, so I think these just might be perfect. Thanks Kim.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Batter
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon no-color almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Filling
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup milk

Icing
3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
(Yes, you need two different 1/2 cups of water)

Makes:
About 24 cupcakes.

Tools:
Standard muffin pan and an icing decorator with the filler tip if you have one; if not, they’re about $15 at Michael’s for the cheap one.

Instructions:
Step 1
Cupcake Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Mix in vanilla and almond flavor.
5. Mix flour with baking powder and salt.
6. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour.
7. Pour into prepared pans.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.
Step 2
Filling Directions
1. In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and milk.
2. Beat with mixer until well blended.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Fill cupcakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Step 3
Icing Directions
1. Beat meringue powder and 1/2 cup cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes..
2. In microwave safe bowl stir sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water.
3. In microwave bring syrup mixture to a boil (approx. 5 minutes).
4. Remove, let mixture cool slightly (1-2 minutes).
5. Slowly add syrup to meringue mixture.
6. Beat on HIGH for 4 minutes.
For top of range: Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to boil; cool slightly and follow directions above.

Step 3
Icing Directions
1. Beat meringue powder and 1/2 cup cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes..
2. In microwave safe bowl stir sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water.
3. In microwave bring syrup mixture to a boil (approx. 5 minutes).
4. Remove, let mixture cool slightly (1-2 minutes).
5. Slowly add syrup to meringue mixture.
6. Beat on HIGH for 4 minutes.
For top of range: Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to boil; cool slightly and follow directions above.

Step 4
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the icing for a traditional flavor

Suzanne Santillan

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It’s Cake Friday! Chocolate Cake in Five Minutes

This week at Casa Santillan we are celebrating that both of my children are officially back in school, and what better way to celebrate than cake.

I found this recipe online on the Dizzy Dee website it looks easy, has only 6 ingredients and bakes in 5 minutes.

Cake in 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, sugar and cocoa
2. Spoon in 1 egg
3. Pour in milk and oil, and mix well
4. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt)
5. Wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug
6. Tip contents out of mug onto saucer and enjoy!

You can check the Dizzy Dee website for great pictures step-by-step. This cake certainly doesn’t replace regular cake, but it sure works when you want to celebrate life’s happy moments.

Don’t forget the ice cream!

Suzanne Santillan

Writing on the Sidewalk

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