I made these mini cupcakes for a friend’s business function that they were having. I spent half the day working on these little guys. Which, wouldn’t have been so bad, except for that it’s been so stinkin’ hot here in Georgia that the heat actually killed our air conditioner. No kidding. So there I was, trapped in a tiny 90-degree 3rd floor apartment all day in a kitchen that’s had its oven running at 350 degrees for FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT making over 200 tiny cupcakes! It’s a wonder these little babies even made it!

I brought it on myself though. It was my idea. I could have just made a layer cake and been done, but, no, I had grandiose dreams of tiny cupcakes with delicious fillings and delectable frostings. After weeks of deliberating, I finally decided on the flavors for the party – chocolate, strawberry, and lemon. Surely everyone could find a flavor they liked with choices like these!

The strawberry cupcakes had little flecks of strawberry all throughout, and were filled with a strawberry glaze that I made from some leftover strawberry puree. Topped with strawberry frosting, a strawberry slice, and garnished with a mint leaf, these were decidedly the most summery of the bunch.

The lemon cupcakes were my favorite. I used my favorite cake recipe – Greek Lemon Cake – and filled it with fresh lemon curd. The curd was extremely lemony, so a little went a long way. I topped the whole thing off with a lemon cream cheese frosting. A nice, light way to end a delicious meal.

The chocolate cupcakes were a hit. I added just a hint of coffee to the chocolate cupcake to sharpen the chocolate flavor even more. I filled the cupcakes with fresh chocolate whipped cream and piped a cute swirl of chocolate fudge buttercream frosting as the finishing touch.

MINI CUPCAKE TIPS & TRICKS

- Use a cookie scoop to pour batter into the cupcake liners to ensure cupcakes are all the same size. I used Oxo’s Medium Cookie Scoop (holds 1 1/2 tablespoons).

- To fill cupcakes, fill a pastry bag with the desired filling. I used Wilton’s Tip #230 – Bismarck Round Decorating Tip. Just stick the tip straight down into the cupcake, and squeeze, pulling up at the same time. Wipe the extra crumbs from the tip every few cupcakes. It couldn’t be any easier and looks fabulous!

- The quickest, easiest way to frost cupcakes it to pipe a swirl of frosting on top. It’s seriously a lot quicker than the old butterknife or spoon method, is absolutely adorable, and everyone will think you spent days in the kitchen whipping them up. I used Wilton Tip 1M, but any large open-star tip will work.

- Don’t let cupcakes sit in the pan too long. Take them out about a minute or two after they come out of the oven. The longer they stay in there, the more soggy the bottom of the cupcake will become.

MINI STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Makes 72 mini cupcakes. Adapted from the recipe on Honeyed Hashette.

- One quantity Strawberry Fields Forever Cake (recipe follows)
- One quantity Strawberry Filling (recipe follows)
- One quantity Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
- Strawberries, halved lengthwise
- Mint leaves

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER CAKE

INGREDIENTS:
2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 3-oz. package strawberry Jell-O
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen sweetened strawberries, puréed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Add to batter, alternating with milk until flour and milk are incorporated. Blend in vanilla and strawberry purée.

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on wire racks.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE ICING

INGREDIENTS:
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup frozen sweetened strawberries, puréed

DIRECTIONS:
Blend cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and blend well. Add strawberry purée and blend well. Refrigerate until use.

STRAWBERRY FILLING

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup frozen sweetened strawberries, puréed
1 tablespoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
In small saucepan, bring puréed strawberries to a boil, stirring constantly. Dissolve cornstarch into 1/2 tablespoon warm water and pour into boiling strawberry mixture, stirring until thickened. Add more cornstarch (dissolved) if necessary to thicken more. Cool and refrigerate until use.

MINI LEMON CUPCAKES

Makes 68 mini cupcakes.

- One quantity Greek Lemon Cake (recipe follows)
- One quantity Microwave Lemon Curd (recipe follows)
- One quantity Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

GREEK LEMON CAKE

Adapted from Carol on Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup lemon yogurt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set mixture aside.

Separate the eggs (keep the yolks!). In a large bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Set aside.

Cream butter or margarine, 1 1/2 cups sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon juice together until fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with the yogurt to the egg yolk mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into each cupcake liner. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on wire racks.

MICROWAVE LEMON CURD

Adapted from Catseo on Allrecipes.com. This recipe gives you enough to fill 68 mini cupcakes, with almost 2 cups remaining left over.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice (6-7 lemons)
3 lemons, zested
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter.

Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, whisking after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Let cool until the mixture thickens up. Store up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Adapted from Janni on Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Crisco
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and Crisco until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

MINI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Makes 66 mini cupcakes.

- One quantity Too Much Chocolate Cake (recipe follows)
- One quantity Chocolate Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
- One quantity Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE CAKE

Adapted from Denise on Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg dark chocolate cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup strong coffee
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a mini muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and coffee. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted come out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool on wire rack.

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar (to taste)
Cocoa powder (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Beat heavy whipping cream with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder one tablespoonful at a time (to taste) and mix in. Store in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Adapted from Debra Steward on Allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons milk (more if needed)
1 cup hot fudge topping
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Cream together butter and shortening until fluffy.

Sift together the cocoa and powdered sugar and add to the creamed mixture. Add milk.

Add hot fudge topping and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy.

This Cupcake recipe actually uses a combination of 4 different recipes (assembly instructions at end):
1) Double Caramel Cake
2) Caramel Frosting V
3) Dulce de Leche Filling (optional)
4) Caramel Sticks (optional)

DOUBLE CARAMEL CAKE
INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup plus 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided use
1/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy skillet, stirring constantly until deep-brown syrup is formed – a process called caramelization. Remove from heat and slowly stir in boiling water, being careful that steam does not burn your hand. Set syrup aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line jumbo cupcake/muffin pan with 12 liners.

Cream butter in bowl of electric mixer. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is well-incorporated. Stir in 4 tablespoons of the reserved syrup.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and vanilla. Add flour mixture to the batter alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Divide batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake 20 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove pans from oven and let stand about 5 minutes, then turn cupcakes out to cook onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

CREDIT: “The Cake That Broke My Will post” from the Culinary Concoctions by Peabody blog

CARAMEL FROSTING V
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound light brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and cream to a rolling boil. Boil one minute. Add soda, and boil one more minute. Remove from heat. Add butter, but DO NOT STIR YET. Let the mixture cool. Beat well.

NOTES:
It is extremely important to leave the butter alone! I actually cut my butter into smaller pieces so that it would be easier to beat after it chilled. I left it in the refrigerator overnight and was able to beat it straight out of the fridge – I know some others had left comments on the recipe that they had to let it sit out for about half an hour. It does take a serious mixer to blend this at first since it’s so sticky, but it’s well worth the effort!

CREDIT: Submitted by “Carol” on Allrecipes.com

DULCE DE LECHE FILLING
INGREDIENTS:
1 can sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:
Remove label from the can. Place UNOPENED can in a deep pot of water, making sure the water is at least 3-4 inches over the top of the can. Bring water to a boil and boil steadily for 3 hours. DO NOT let the water level get below the can. It is important to keep the water level above the can, or the can could explode. It is a good idea to set a timer as a reminder to check the level and add water every 15 minutes.

After 3 hours, turn off heat and allow water to cool. Remove can and refrigerate until cold before opening can. Store in refrigerator.

CARAMEL STICKS
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper coated with butter or pan spray.

Combine the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir them together with your fingers, making sure there are no lumps. Brush down the inside of the pan with a little water, using your hand to feel for any stray granules of sugar.

Cover the saucepan and place it over medium heat for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Do not stir from this point on. Keep an eye on the pan – it will be very bubbly. When stray sugar crystals appear on the side of the pan, brush them down with a clean, wet pastry brush.

Insert a candy thermometer. When the temperature reaches 300°, lower the heat to medium. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches 325; this will happen quickly. It will be golden brown. At 325°, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 1 minute, or until the bubble
s subside.

Let the caramel cool to 300°, 5-8 minutes. It should be thick but still liquid, like molasses. Scoop a spoonful of the caramel and let it fall back into the pot. If it flows in a smooth steady stream, it is ready to use. If it drips, it’s still too hot.

Carefully scoop out a spoonful of the caramel and position it about 6 inches above the prepared baking sheet. Pour the caramel off the spoon across the baking sheet into desired shapes. The caramel will harden immediately.

If the caramel becomes too cool to work with before you finish making all of the sticks, reheat it. If it has hardened completely, smash it up and place the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes. The temperature should not exceed 300°.

CREDIT: Sherry Yard, The Secrets of Baking, p. 54, c. 2003

ASSEMBLY:
FILLING:
Make sure that cupcakes are completely cooled. Fill a pastry bag with a medium round tip (I used tip 7 from Wilton) with the Dulce de Leche. Poke the tip into the top of a cupcake and squeeze a small amount of Dulce de Leche into the middle of the cupcake. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a paring knife to cut out a small “cone” from the top of the cupcake, spoon a small amount of Dulce de Leche into the hole and plug the opening back up with the “cone” cut from the cake.

FROSTING:
Fill a pastry bag with a large star tip (I used tip 1M from Wilton) with the Caramel Frosting. Pipe onto the top of the cupcake in a circular motion, starting from the outside going inward.

GARNISH:
Stand up shapes and pieces of the Caramel Stick Recipe.