Cupcakes in a jar

I have to admit, I've been avoiding the baking aisle for quite some time now. I find that desserts are one area where I can exhibit very little control. But the time has come, my lovelies, to revisit my old, dear friend: the cupcake.

For the two of you who haven't been updated, my husband, Tim, has received a new job in Greenville, so he just left his position at Foothills Community Church. Being the homemaker I am (*giggle*sigh*self-realization*shame*back to blogging*), I knew that I should make something for the wonderful staff over at FCC. They have, after all, been so great to both of us and are being incredibly supportive during this transition. So after tossing around seven or eight ideas, my mother came to the rescue.

What else is new?

It's like we're on the same wave length. We call each other at the same time, send each other emails at the same time, and the moment I desperately need a good dessert recipe, there she is. Apparently, these aren't new, but I am in love. I love mason jars, and I love the idea of putting sweets into personalized containers. In my home, if they weren't personalized, there was a good chance someone else would eat your share.

All's fair in love and dessert, right?

Anyway, these can be made with any variety of cupcake recipes. I am doing two types: french vanilla cake with creamy chocolate frosting, and strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Both winners in my book. Just be creative and have fun with these!

P.S. Not to diminish the love and sincerity of these gifts, but for those of you who are unaware of this, mason jars are extremely inexpensive when bought at WalMart. I got a 12 pack for $6. Just sayin'.

This is important! Normally when you make cupcakes, you fill them 3/4 of the way full. If you do that with these, they'll be too high for the jar, so go ahead and fill them only 1/2 of the way. I'd also suggest not using the paper containers and just putting the dough straight in the cupcake baking pan, well-greased.

French vanilla cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
•  2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup of buttermilk, room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-inch of vanilla bean

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Throw the buttermilk in a small pan over the stove and heat until warm
• Remove from the heat and add the vanilla pod. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar until well-combined and fluffy. You know the drill.
• Add the eggs and egg yolks, mixing after each one until well-combined.
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Cut open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the buttermilk. 
• If you want, you can always save the outside pod for vanilla sugar later on.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mixture until well-combined.
• Continue adding the flour mixture slowly.
• Spray the cupcake pan very well, scoop the batter in and bake for 18-20 minutes
• Cool before frosting.

Creamy chocolate frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa together and set aside
• Mix butter until smooth
• Beat in sugar mixture
• Add evaporated milk 
• Blend in vanilla
• Mix until light and fluffy.
• If you need to, you can adjust the mixture and add more milk or sugar, depending on how the consistency turned out. Mine turned out wonderfully, though, just as this recipe is written  

 Strawberry cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package(s) (18 1/4-oz.) cake mix, plain white or yellow
• 1 package(s) (3-oz.) strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup(s) (finely chopped fresh) strawberries, with juice (from 1 1/2 cups whole berries)
• 3/4 cup(s) milk
• 3/4 cup(s) vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

Directions:

• Combine the cake mix, gelatin, strawberries and juice, milk, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.
• Spoon into cupcake baking pan
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes

Cream cheese frosting

Love you guys, but I'm not typing it all out again. Check out my previous blog that covers this recipe.


Getting everything in the jar

This is really quite simple, and you can be creative with this. I've decided on these simple layering steps:

• Cupcake
• Frosting/sprinkles
• Cupcake
• Frosting/sprinkles 
• Here's a warning: Do NOT use whipped cream as the top layer. I thought this would be a brilliant idea; however, it turns out whipped cream doesn't last more than about 20 minutes. Just splurge and make more frosting.

That's it. Super simple, tasty and fun to make. And if we're being honest, they're pretty cheap.

Another thing: we don't judge people here on this blog. If you don't have time to make these from scratch — as I know most of you don't — no one will be able to tell if you just grab the box mix. It also cuts down on the cost.

I won't tell.

Love and everything-tastes-better-in-a-jar,
Rachael

Triple caramel salted cupcakes

First and foremost, I have to apologize for my long absence. It's been a week since I've posted, but that's only because this week has been positively terrible, stressful and never-ending. But cupcakes fix things, right?

I'm not going to lie to you. These are some of the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life, but they're not for the faint of heart. I worked on these over the course of two evenings. This recipe is the combination of two recipes: Sprinkle bakes triple salted caramel cupcakes and Pioneer woman's caramel sauce. If you're really adventurous (and talented, which I am not), you can stick solely with the Sprinkles caramel recipe. It's pretty complicated, and I managed to ruin my favorite little kitchen tool.

Apparently melted sugar requires metal kitchen tools. Boo on you, plastic.

So let's get started!

Cupcake ingredients (as copied from Sprinkle Bakes website):

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla   
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk

Cupcake directions (as copied from Sprinkle Bakes website): 

•  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with papers.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
• Cream butter and brown sugar on medium high speed until pale fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. 
• Add vanilla. Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
• Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 25 minutes.
• When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
• Once cooled, cut out a small chunk in the middle of the cupcake. We're going to fill that with caramel sauce.

If you are ever required to make caramel, this is the recipe to use. I've tried so many, but I could drink this stuff. It's Pioneer Woman's easy caramel sauce, and it is absolutely divine. And easy. Which makes it even more divine.

Ingredients (as copied from Pioneer Woman's website):

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions (as copied from Pioneer Woman's website):

• Mix butter, brown sugar, half & half, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat.
• Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker.
• Add vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further.
• Turn off heat and pour sauce into a jar.
• Refrigerate until cold 
• Once the caramel sauce is cool, pour about a teaspoon of it into each of the cupcake holes you made, then "quark" the cupcake again with the chunk of cake you cut out.

Now onto the frosting. This is the most sinful part of this whole dessert, but let me tell you something — you have never tasted anything like this in your life. It's amazing.

Ingredients (as copied from Sprinkle bakes website):

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions (as copied from Sprinkle bakes website):

• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or just use your hand mixer), beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny. If this happens, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
• Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting.
• Top cupcake with a few "grains" of sea salt

So as you can see, this isn't the easiest cupcake recipe, but if you're up for a challenge, these are a-MAZING.

Love and caramel...and sea salt,
Rachael