Tiramisu Cupcakes, 05/18

There are a lot of new ingredients here that I have not worked with (ever or recently). There are MANY recipes for these types of cupcakes online, and I took a component here, a component there, and made my own cupcake.
To start off, I baked a white cupcake using "Hey There Cupcake" by Clare Crespo. Good basic cupcake, tasty flavor. The next step was to make the Mascarpone filling/frosting using 1 lb mascarpone cheese, 2 cups of whipping cream and 1 cup of powdered sugar. I made half a batch at a time because I don't have one of those huge standing mixers (I know, pity me :P). I whipped the cream until ALMOST stiff peaks with the sugar, then added the cheese. It solidified nicely, just don't overbeat or it gets icky. I hollowed out the cupcakes with a little do-dad from Bed Bath and Beyond and lightly "soaked" the middle with a mixture of instant coffee, water, sugar and Kahlua (flavoring since I had to take these to school). Then I piped in the filling, covered it back up with the little bit of cupcake I had carved out, and "frosted" it with the same concoction.
Now the reason I use quotations is because this is not really frosting and should not be used or paraded around as frosting. It melts. Quickly. I had to return the frosting to the refrigerator to let it harden up a little and then pipe it back on, then RUSH the cupcakes back in. They are now safely in Kelli's mini-fridge in her classroom, but in my opinion, that is a lot of work to make the darn frosting stay on top of the cupcake.
To finish off the illusion of the dessert, I sprinkled a little cocoa powder on the top. I think this is the only time I will be making these cupcakes, which is a total bummer because I have a whole tupperware bowl full of the filling and it is too hard for me to throw it away!! Unless these cupcakes are FABULOUS, I will be eating tiramisu in its normal form....from a restaurant.

Ok after actually tasting the cupcake (I hadn't when I wrote the above information), I LIKE it. It's yummy. And aside from the annoying consistency of the frosting, I call this Cupcake Wednesday a success!!!

Pineapple Right Side Up Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting, 05/11

It has been a while since I have posted, and although I have not stopped baking, they weren't really anything special. However, my creative juices started flowing again and I have a list of cupcakes I want to make, and the end of the school year is fast approaching (no one is complaining, don't get me wrong!). My first new concoction was a Pineapple "Right Side Up" cupcake. I saw a bunch of recipes for upside down cupcakes online, but they seemed messy to transport, so I kept with the flavors and just retooled it a bit. I used a pineapple cupcake recipe from "Hey There Cupcake" by Clare Crespo, which turned out FABULOUS. I like the cupcake much better cold than warm--the pineapple flavor comes out more when it has been in the refrigerator. Then, for the brown sugar that is usually on the bottom and all crystalized and yummy, I made some brown sugar frosting, using another new and untried recipe from a recent birthday present from the Cupcake Wednesday lunch group--"Who You Calling' Cupcake" by Michelle Garcia. My only change in the recipe (and I don't know if it would remain the same if I did it the other way, but just a note) was that I melted the brown sugar FIRST with the shortening instead of adding it in at the end. I thought it might be grainy the other way around. Top it off with a little maraschino cherry and your Upside Down Pineapple Cupcake is right side up!!