Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm home! That means I get to work in a fully equipped, big, bright, great kitchen (my mom's). On Saturday I hosted a birthday party for my friend Kerri, and she asked for rainbow cupcakes. She also asked for frosting to resemble Hydrangeas (as found here) but I failed miserably at that...didn't have the right tip, and the frosting wouldn't get stiff enough. But I thought the rainbow turned out wonderfully. The cupcakes weren't as moist as I'd have liked but I think that's because I kept them out a bit too long...oops. And the frosting wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't too bad. Overall I don't think I'd reuse these recipes, but definitely try the rainbow cupcakes out, they're beautiful!

Rainbow Cupcakes
Adapted from Simple White Cake from Allrecipes
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
red, green, yellow, and blue food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.

Split batter equally into 6 bowls.
Drop count (from bakedbree.com)
Purple: 9 red + 6 blue
Blue: 12 blue
Green: 12 green
Yellow: 12 yellow
Orange: 12 yellow + 4 red
Red: 18 red
Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan in layers, smoothing the layer with the spoon after each addition: purple, then blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, then red. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from Glorious Treats

½ cup butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1-4 tbsp heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (I used 1 tbsp)
Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.

Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)

Rum Cream Pie 2

Ok, so for my friend Jimmy's birthday in late April, I was planning on making a Rum Cream Pie. Unfortunately, the unmarked package that I thought was unflavored gelatin was actually vanilla pudding, and I mixed it in the pie & did everything and it wasn't enough so I put another cup of whipped cream on top. Other changes are reflected below. Anyway, I had it frozen and then took it over and then it took long enough and then the pie melted and people put it in the freezer again and I thought they forgot about it. I was so embarrassed about the pie forever and then when at Steven's birthday party last week, one of my friends who lives with Jimmy reminded me about the pie and told me it was DELICOUS.

Wow, phew. I thought it was a huge crap on my reputation as a baker, because nobody ever mentioned it or thanked me and I didn't bring it up again. Good to know it was actually a success!

For this, I used the recipe for Rum Cream Pie in Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table that I also used here, but made a few changes. I used a store-bought crust (which was fine), used 1 1/4 teaspoons of vanilla pudding instead of unflavored gelatin, used another cup of heavy cream & some sugar & vanilla for whipped cream on top, and sprinkled mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top instead of bittersweet. I froze the pie since the pudding didn't harden like gelatin.

Moist Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Last year for my friend Steven's birthday, I made him a Chocolate Panda Cake with White Chocolate Frosting. This year, he wanted a reverse panda--more chocolate. Later, someone remarked that it was just a bear. Whatever, I tried!! It wasn't as cute as it could have been but it was still pretty cute. And good! I actually found a mayonnaise cake recipe for this one and didn't tell anyone and people still liked it...I had leftover mayo that I wanted to use up, haha. Most people loved it, though one person thought the texture was like bread. It was just dense but also moist! And the frosting I chose was the perfect sweetness. I chose the frosting I made for Jimmy's birthday cake last year, found here. I used store-bought icing for the white cuz I was lazy. I sprinkled some mini chocolate chips on the frosting between the layers.

Moist Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Recipe found here

2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups water

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Grease and flour 2 – 9″ round cake pans.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder.

Mix well and set aside.

Beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl for 3 minutes, using the high speed of an electric mixer. Mixture should be smooth and creamy. Reduce speed to low and beat in mayonnaise until blended.

Add flour mixture in batches, alternating with water, in 4 equal additions (1/4 of the flour, then 1/4 of the water etc). Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake is clean when removed.

Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and allow to cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Mocha Chip Cookies

Sorry for the lack of a post last week, and for an old recipe this week! I made these cookies over a year ago. I'm pretty sure I found the recipe I used...hopefully. I've been pretty busy because we were finishing up with my Junior Year of classes, and now finals are coming! I have a lot of projects due on Thursday, and then a couple exams I actually have to study for next week, but it's just overall pretty busy. I should have a new recipe (or at least a new item, I may reuse recipes) next weekend.

Also, Happy Mother's Day!!

Mocha Chip Cookies
Recipe by Nestle Toll House

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Baking Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup (6 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

Combine Instant Coffee Granules and water in small bowl; stir until coffee is dissolved. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are crisp. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.