Black Bottom Cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I mean who could resist a super moist, intensely chocolate cupcake with a creamy cheesecake center and chocolate chips?   Black Bottoms are definitely one of my favorite desserts and it's hard to not visit the fridge often when I know they're in there calling my name!  It's the only cupcake I can think of that's just too good for frosting!   This is a keeper my friends! 

Black Bottom Cupcakes

  

Filling

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened 
1 large egg, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12 cup cupcake pan or line with paper liners. I like to use clear or white liners so the colors show through. In a medium mixing bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt and beat until smooth and creamy. With spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Next, mix water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar together.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients just until smooth. Do not over mix your batter. 

Using a large scoop, fill each cup with about 3/4 of the way up. Spoon in a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely. 

Bake for 25 minutes until the batter is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

 

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

These little cupcakes are so perfect for Valentine’s Day.  They are light and fluffy and the sweet whipped cream filling is so light and delicious.  I like to bake the cupcakes up ahead of time and store the filling in the refrigerator. Then when I am ready to serve, I just cut off the tops and spoon on the filling and put the tops back on and serve. 

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

3 large eggs whites

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup, powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, water, egg whites, butter, almond extract and vanilla extract, until well combined. Spoon the batter evenly into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup 3/4 way full.

Bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Filling

While the cupcakes cool, make the cream filling.  Using a mixture, with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold the sliced strawberries into whipped cream. 

Slice the tops off each cupcake and fill with whipped cream mixture. Place cupcake top back on and sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.  Store in Refrigerator.

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Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake

If you’ve never had this cake, you just have to try it. It's almost too light and airy to be called cake. Tres Leches Cake (meaning: three milks) is a melt-in-your-mouth sweet sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three milks: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream.  While I make the “from scratch” version now and then, I find using a store bought cake mix is just as good and saves so much time.  This is a keeper my friends! 

Tres Leches Cake

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (any brand) 

4 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 baking dish with parchment paper and then spray with non stick cooking spray and set aside.  

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and water with a handheld electric mixer on low speed. Beat for 2 minutes or until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.  Let cake cool for at least 5 minutes and then using a fork, poke holes all over the top.

Sauce

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and the heavy whipping cream until combined. 

Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake trying to get as much into the holes and around the edges as possible.  The milk mixture will pool around the edges of the cake but that’s okay.  

Refrigerate and allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least an hour or longer.

Topping

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Fresh sliced strawberries and cinnamon , for garnish

Using a mixer, whip the cup of heavy whipping cream, with the sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla on very high speed until stiff peaks form. 

Frost the top of the cake, add a sprinkle of cinnamon and then cut into squares.  I like to pipe on my topping but you can decorate anyway you like.

Garnish with strawberries if desired.

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Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

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When I was growing up, we always had homemade biscuits in the breadbox that sat on the kitchen counter.  I can remember always waking up to the wonderful smell of my Mom's homemade buttermilk biscuits. We had them for breakfast with lots of butter and jam or with creamy sausage gravy.  Sometimes she would make a dessert using leftover biscuits from that morning and this is exactly how they looked!

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

Strawberries

1 quart strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup sugar

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Biscuits

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed

2/3 cup half-and-half

8 teaspoons of sugar for biscuit tops

1/4 cup half and half for  biscuit tops

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss the strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar together and then set aside.  Blend together the flour, baking powder, salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until a coarse meal is formed. Transfer the dough mixture into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Pour in 2/3 cup half-and-half and gently  mix it with a fork, being careful not to over mix or the biscuits will be tough.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a couple of times until it just holds together. Pat the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness and cut out 8 round 3-inch biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the 1/4 of half-and-half and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the biscuits have risen and are a light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
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For the whipped cream

1 cup chilled heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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In the bowl of a mixer, whisk the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract on high speed until soft peaks form.  Assemble the shortcakes by slicing  biscuits in half and adding some whipped cream. Then add the strawberries topping them with more whipped cream.  Add the top of the biscuit and add a dollop of whipped cream on top and garnish with a single strawberry.

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Strawberry Bread with Vanilla Icing

How good does it get?  Easy to make and out of this world good!

Strawberry Bread with Vanilla Icing

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened...
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups strawberries, rinse, dried and chopped. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. With electric mixer cream butter, sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.

In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend flour mixture with butter mixture just until blended. Add buttermilk and only stir until just combined; do not over mix.

Carefully fold in strawberries. Dough mixture will be thick. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 50 to 60 minutes.              
                                         

For the Glaze:     

4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter. Slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Extra milk can be added to thin if desired...I like mine nice and thick.

NOTE: I have used raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and even peaches for this bread recipe.

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