End of summer blues...so lets eat cupcakes! :)

Quick update to Homemade chocolate cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting! I made these for a second time and they were even better! Get in the kitchen and make these now! Perfect Fall Cupcakes!

 Original Post:

I can feel it...the cool breeze in the evenings. The shorter days and the longer shadows. The smell that comes with Fall. The end of summer is here! Only a few weeks left and the calendar makes it official. So with the last days of summer upon us and the first day of school quickly approaching, what do we do? Bake cupcakes and craft of course!

The best part of any day(ok, my day) always involves chocolate. Being pregnant has made me love it x3! I mentioned before my daughter is on a cupcake kick, so we decided to try a new recipe. Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting. These cupcakes were divine! A very serious MUST DO!  My husband said they were the best batch of cupcakes we have ever made, and there was not one left. The cupcakes were just perfectly moist and sweet, and the frosting was creamy and smooth. Together they were a perfectly matched pair! Some might say chocolate with chocolate is too rich, but the Nutella makes all the difference in the world. And I just LOVE Nutella! I gave this recipe out to several friends already and I am tempted to go make a batch right now so I can lick the beaters!  I'm telling you to bust out your mixer and get baking!

Here's the recipe! 

Ingredients:

• Chocolate Cupcakes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Creamy Nutella Frosting
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• salt to taste
• decorative candies (optional)

How to:

Instructions

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line 14 muffin cups with liners.
2. Over high heat, bowl the water in a small saucepan. Pour the unsweetened cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl and mix with boiling water until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature by placing in the refrigerator as you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat only until just combined. In a steady stream, add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
5. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full with batter. Bake for 16-19 minutes, keeping an eye on them to avoid even the slightest burning (which will lend dry cupcakes). My cupcakes took 17 minutes and a toothpick inserted in the middle came out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before frosting.
6. Make the frosting: Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. You want a very creamy base before adding anything else. See my extensive notes about this in the post above. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and continue to beat on medium speed. The mixture will be fairly thick. Add the Nutella and continue to beat on medium speed. Add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and the vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream (1 Tablespoon measurements at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1/4 cup measurements at a time). Taste the frosting and add salt to cut the sweetness. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to mine.
7. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting and decorate with candies as desired.

Notes

*Replacing the heavy cream in the frosting with milk or half-and-half will result in a less creamy consistency.

Recipe source: cupcakes by Joy of Cooking, Frosting bysallysbakingaddiction.com

The Original Pin:

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/14/chocolate-cupcakes-with-creamy-nutella-frosting/

She also has a recipe for Peanut Butter cupcakes with the Nutella buttercream frosting! Visit her wonderful blog for more delicious baking recipes! Its an adorable blog!

Bonus post!

I know, I know. Another wreath? I had a ton of burlap left over and one of my friends left me a few pieces from a party she held. So, I decided to make one last wreath and send it to my sister. Aren't I nice? Ha! Hope she appreciates my efforts!

This wreath was the cheapest and easiest to do, but it was more to do with the fact that I had everything on hand already and didn't have to buy a thing. It is the exact same HOW TO as my very first chevron wreath tutorial. I just used the regular brown burlap around the straw wreath, and the yellow chevron burlap that my friend gave me became the flowers and bow. Seriously easy!

Here's the link to my tutorial: http://pinterestandthepauper.blogspot.com/2013/08/diy-burlap-wreath-for-under-20.html

Happy end of summer and happy pinning!

Buttercream Frosting using Regular Sugar!

Ever go to make something you're craving and realize your missing a major ingredient? You're either left making something completely different or not at all? My 7 year old daughter is big into the show DC Cupcakes. She just loves it. I had this little idea to see what would happen if I let her go at it and make a batch of cupcakes from scratch. I got all the ingredients out and let her read the recipe, and away she went. She was beyond enthusiastic! Then I realized that I had no Confectioners Sugar(aka Powdered Sugar). Uhhhh.... what exactly do we do about the frosting? So I turned to Google. I found a few chat rooms and baking boards. One of them had a recipe for Buttercream Frosting using regular sugar instead of confectioners. So we decided to give it a whirl. It turned out sugary sweet and a perfect consistency! Loved her expression when she ate her first bite! She felt very proud of herself.  Maybe I have a baker in the making and I won't ever have to bake again. Ha! :)

The recipe was not a Pinterest one, and in truth I have no idea who to credit. It was a person named RLI R on a Yahoo Answers board. Whoever you are RLI R, you saved the day! :)

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1 cup butter(2 sticks) at room temp

1 cup granulated(regular) sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

Combine milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 

Cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy. Add the vanilla and cooled flour mixture. Continue to beat at medium speed until frosting is very fluffy and sugar is completely dissolved. (If you take a little of the frosting and rub it between your thumb and pointer finger, you'll be able to tell if the sugar has completely dissolved. If it hasn't, just keep beating.

Makes 3 cups. Enough to fill, border, and frost a 9 inch cake.(I had tons left over since ours was just 24 cupcakes!

Look at that proud face! :)

Try it! Its just as good as confectioners recipes! I honestly couldn't tell the difference, but I am not a professional. It worked great and we enjoyed our treat! What more could one ask? :)

Happy Pinning!