RECIPE: Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

These cupcakes take me back to roughly 1989 to a picnic at Bates Nut Farm (Escondido, Ca). For many years we enjoyed a tradition on Memorial Day... a church picnic. The park on the Farm is lined with large shade trees... where we gathered. The edge of the park is dotted with picnic tables... where we shared stories, laughed and learned from each other.

We ate... we played volleyball, bocce ball and softball... and I'm pretty sure we all got sun-burned.


And then we were introduced to these cupcakes.

Thank you, Patti Groves, for changing my life!



So, let's make some!

I started with all of these ingredients, plus vanilla extract. (If I posted a recipe and actually remembered to pull all of the ingredients out of the cupboards... well, it would be a miracle.)



First step: cream cheese filling. Mix together the cream cheese, egg, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup of sugar and chocolate chips.













I may or may not have licked off the cream cheese batter...

(Please note: some people believe there is a chance of salmonella poisoning when raw eggs are consumed. This is not a recommendation to consume raw egg products.)



Moving along to the dry ingredient mix... starting with the flour, 1 cup of sugar, cocoa mix, baking soda and kosher salt.



Quick stir until it's all mixed...



And then I add the wet ingredients... vanilla extract, vinegar, water and canola oil and mixed until it was all combined and there were no more lumps.











Next step... spooning the chocolate mixture into the muffin tins lined with paper cups. But only fill them up about half way ...



Because next is the great cream cheese stuff...



Fill and repeat until all of both mixtures is used up...



Approximately 30 minutes later...



Please resist the urge to take them out of the tin right away... allow them to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing them to cooling rack.



And when you can handle them, not a minute before or a minute after... peel that wrapper off and take a bite (or two) and reveal the creamy middle!




Memorial Day is in a few more weekends... and this year I'll be with most of my family on Memorial Day. Maybe we'll make these again at that point... then again, maybe I won't be able to wait that long...



Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy Patti Groves

Ingredients

Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
Dash of salt
8 ounces chocolate chips

Cupcake
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In small bowl - mix cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and chocolate chips.

In large bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

To large bowl add wet ingredients: water, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Stir until creamy.

Line muffin tins with paper cups, fill cups ½ full with chocolate cake mix. Drop 2 or 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture in muffin tins.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Tonight I bring to you Red Velvet Cupcakes! And I'm using a new ingredient I've never used before... Droste, an unsweetened cocoa powder.

My friend Reba brought some cupcakes to work one day... and they were the most moist and flavorful cupcakes I'd enjoyed in a very long time. She was kind enough to share her recipe. And now I share it with you!

You have GOT to make these cupcakes! No joke...

Start off with the dry ingredients... mix well and set aside.







Next step, find a very large bowl and follow the directions to mix together the wet ingredients.




Beat the butter/sugar mixture until it's nice and creamy... 4-5 minutes.




Add one egg at a time... and beat until mixed well.



Continue with all four eggs and then add milk and sour cream. And then vanilla extract and the red fod coloring... again, beat well.





At this point the batter looks very liquid-y. Do not fret... in the next step you're going to be adding A LOT of dry ingredients. It all works out nicely.



Little bits at a time, add the flour/cocoa mixture and beat well.



Once incorporated add more (try to avoid over mixing though).



Oh, there are no words...



Almost done...





Spoon mix into lined cupcake tins...



While they are baking... let's make the best icing that exists on this planet! (I do not lie!)



It's easy... add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract to bowl. Mix well.




Slowly incorporate confectioners' sugar... continue to mix well until all sugar is incoporated.





Again, speechless... let them cool on a wire rack.




Once thoroughly cooled you can top with a dollop of the world's best icing... and dig right in!



Shhh... don't disturb me...




Red Velvet Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy McCormick, via my friend Reba Carvalho

Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup milk
1 bottle (1 oz.) red food color
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Instructions
MIX flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed just until blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

BAKE in preheated 350 degree F oven 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Spread with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: Beat 1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 2 tbsp sour cream and 2 tsp pure vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 oz) confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth.

Thank you, Reba! You're sweet and colorful, rich and lively... just like these cupcakes! We're all still praying for a speedy recovery and enough energy to kick this cancer to the curb. We love you... and your cupcakes!

enjoy your time in the kitchen...