Vanilla Cupcakes for Two...

Hello all!! Happy June!!! I seriously just love when June rolls around, it's truly such a lovely time of year.

Last weekend I was in the mood to bake, so I did! lol I used a recipe that makes just two cupcakes! The perfect amount for you and your best friend lol



The recipe worked surpisingly well and my from scratch frosting was the perfect finish. I added some sweeten shaved coconuts to the frosting and on top for a little something extra..

Hazelnut Creme Brulee Cupcake Recipe

These scrumptious Hazelnut Creme Brulee Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens are absolutely amazing! Being that Hazelnut is my favorite, I can't get enough of these cupcakes.. they're simple, delicious and are a bit more sophisticated than your average chocolate or vanilla cupcake lol 

Make sure to give these a try and let me know if you do!! Recipe is below!

How delicious does that look!?

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup finely chopped, toasted hazelnuts (filberts)
• 1 recipe Vanilla-Hazelnut Buttercream
• 1 recipe Caramelized Sugar Drizzle
•    Grated whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg (optional)
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups (or line with paper bake cups). In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in liqueur and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in nuts.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. Spread Vanilla-Hazelnut Buttercream onto tops of cupcakes. Quickly drizzle with Caramelized Sugar Drizzle. If desired, sprinkle with nutmeg. Makes 24 (2-1/2 inch) cupcakes.

Vanilla-Hazelnut Buttercream: Allow 1/3 cup butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in 3 cups additional powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk (3 to 4 teaspoons) until buttercream reaches a spreading consistency. Makes 2 cups.

Caramelized Sugar Drizzle: In a large skillet cook 1/3 cup sugar over medium-high heat until sugar starts to melt, shaking skillet occasionally. Do not stir. When sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low and cook about 5 minutes or until all of the sugar is melted, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Immediately drizzle over frosted cupcakes.

Plan on trying out this recipe? Well than, let me know if you do! I'd love to hear what you though of them!

xxoo

Recipe: Irish Car Bomb Cupcake

St. Patrick's Day is just about here!!! It's one of my three favorite holidays! [Christmas and my birthday being the other two] I love everything about St. Patrick's Day and love that my mom is part Irish so we can celebrate the most awesome holiday on the calendar. 

Below is a recipe from Brown Eye Baker where is takes the infamous Irish Car Bomb beverage and turns it into the most delicious cupcake ever!!! One of my good friend's had informed me of what an Irish Car Bomb was a few years ago. [I had never heard of the drink before.]  It wasn't until just a few months ago, that I had gone to this little Irish bar in the next town over called the 'Tilted Kilt,' where myself and my two friends, one them being the friend who had initially told me about Irish Car Bombs, had enjoyed (my first ever) Irish Car Bombs. And I fell in love! They're delicious, almost like a milkshake or chocolate milk. And of course half the fun of this beverage is the steps required to drink it. So below you can make your own Irish Car Bomb cupcakes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, or any day in my opinion because these cupcakes are way too delicious to only enjoy once a year!

Have a marvelous St. Patrick's Day, and of course 

make sure to enjoy a beer or two...or three!

xxoo

cupcake: a new feature!

Hi all!! I started a baking blog last spring and really enjoyed posting on it while I was in between jobs, but once I found employment again, I ceased to post any longer. I've recently decided that maintaining one blog is more than engough for me so I'm going to have a weekly feature here on 'My {Garden State} of Mind', which will consist of a Cupcake of the Week post. This feature is going to consist of scrumptious cupcake recipes of all sorts, as well as my favorite cupcakes from bakeries all over New Jersey!! I hope you all enjoy this new feature, because I'm so happy to add one of my other passions in life to my blog! Enjoy the first Cupcake post below!

   Today's cupcake of the day comes from a bakery in Rutherford, NJ called, Sweet Avenue Bakeshop. I've chosen their Lavender Lemon cupcake. Reason 1, because I always wanted to try a lavender cupcake and 2, because Sweet Avenue's looks absolutely scrumptious!! 

    The Lavender Lemon cupcake is a lemon cake filled with fresh lemon curd, and topped with fresh lavender frosting. Doesn't it just sound soo delicious!? Here's a photo of this sweet perfection!

Oh, and did I mention that every single, delicious cupcake the amazing people at Sweet Avenue bake is completely vegan and/or 100% gluten free!!! Pretty rad, huh? I thought so too!

Have you ever tried a lavender cupcake before? How was it?