Day 1 : Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp concentrated red food coloring (4 tbsp of liquid food coloring will do in a pinch)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk (don't have any? use this easy substitute)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp white vinegar

1/2 cup butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)
8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 tsp vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare two cupcake pans with liners.
2. Sift together cake flour, cocoa and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the whisk attachment), beat oil and sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, and continue beating. Add food coloring and vanilla and mix well.
4. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk half of each at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix just enough to combine.
5. Place baking soda in a bowl or cup, add vinegar and stir (it will foam and expand). Add to cake batter and beat for 10 seconds.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake cupcakes 20-24 minutes.

Icing

1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar (one cup at a time) while mixing. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. 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.)
4. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

This recipe will yield about 24 cupcakes. Source.

Thanks for the great feedback, guys! This is a little bit of a different format from most forum posts that I've seen on here, so I was a bit nervous about posting. The fact that you guys are excited makes me really excited too!

ImaGodiva, I'll get hunting for some recipes! I definitely can't say that I mind experimenting with chocolate. I do recall that the last time I made German chocolate cake, it was really dense, but I also found it to be incredibly bitter - maybe I'll see if I can work off of that!

This cupcake recipe was shared with me by a friend after I mentioned that I was looking for something dense and delicious. It is a very rich, very chocolatey cupcake, so if you are not a serious chocolate lover, I don't recommend that you give this a go. These are definitely a grown-up spin on a youthful treat and do require a bit of precision, so if you're looking for something sweet, light and easy, you're going to want to wait for another day.

Alternately, this will make one layer of a cake, if you prefer that - simply make two or three batches if you'd like to go that route and adjust the baking time to add an additional 10 minutes. A dark chocolate icing will be coming up soon, I just felt that the ganache was perfectly suited to something so rich.

Day 2



Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup good semisweet chocolate chips (or 4oz of whatever chocolate you enjoy, finely chopped. if you'd prefer something a bit sweeter, try substituting half milk chocolate)
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (these intensify the depth of the chocolate flavor, but are optional if you prefer a sweeter taste)

Additional chocolate, for decoration (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325*F (if you have an ovensafe thermometer, use it to ensure that your oven is as accurate as possible). Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not over-beat, or the cupcakes will be tough.
4. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (fill almost to the top - these have no leavening agent) and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Do not over-bake. Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.
5. For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. If you do not have a double boiler, use a pyrex bowl fitted over the top of a large pot. There's no need to go out and buy one.
6. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache. For optional decoration, you can grate additional chocolate (white chocolate would be a fantastic contrast) or slide a piece into the top. For the ambitious who would like to learn to make the rose decorations shown in the photo, read on!

This recipe will yield about 12 cupcakes. Store at room temperature.

Roses

1. Temper your chocolate. Alternately, you can use candy melts, which are a much quicker and easier route - simply melt them down according to the instructions on the package.
2. Locate some small, smooth leaves (lemon leaves work great) and clean them thoroughly. Use your finger to coat the leaves out to the edges with your chocolate (use a double coating if necessary to ensure that all gaps are filled, but try to keep the layer as thin as possible), and then allow them to dry completely on a cookie tray covered in wax paper.
3. Once they've hardened (5-10 minutes at room temp depending on thickness), carefully peel them off. Try not to handle them too much, as they will melt. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator, if your room is warmer).
4. Spread a layer of chocolate onto the cookie tray and tap a few times to release any air bubbles. Cool the chocolate until it hardens (about 20 minutes at room temp - less if you refrigerate it).
5. Take a knife and use it to shave off a narrow strip of chocolate. It will curl up naturally, allowing you to customize your roses. Alternately, if the leaves prove to be too much work, you could simply use a knife or a cheese cutter to create longer chocolate curls for a simpler decoration. These will be very delicate, but are easily moved using a toothpick or a skewer if you find it difficult to transfer them manually.
6. Arrange the leaves and curls as you see fit. If desired, you can melt down a little bit more chocolate - perhaps what's left over after you've formed your curls - to pipe on vines (don't have piping equipment? spoon chocolate into a plastic baggie and snip off the corner).


Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on the side, or warmed with vanilla ice cream for that lava-cake feel. Other options for garnish include fresh raspberries - these are really versatile, so you can easily customize them to your preferences!

Day 3: Pina Colada Cupcakes


Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp Pina Colada mix
2/3 cup crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
A pinch of cream of tarter

1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cups butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar (more or less to taste)
5 tbsp Pina Colada mix

Sweetened Shredded Coconut
Maraschino cherries
Fresh pineapple wedges (or canned pineapple pieces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until mixed and fluffy.
3. Separate the eggs. I tend to just pour mine into my hand and let the white slip through, but if you're not fond of the slimy feel, you can simply pass the yolk back and forth between the halves of the shell.
4. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, coconut extract and pineapple to the butter and sugar and mix together well.
5. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well with a spoon. Then, add a little at a time of this dry mixture to the wet mixture. Combine together gently.
6. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a separate bowl until the eggs whites form soft peaks. Add egg whites gradually into the rest of the batter and fold in gently.
7. Divide the cupcake batter evenly into the cupcake pan. Bake for 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Remove from the oven let them cool. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them continue to cool completely.

Coconut Cream Filling

1. Pour the whipping cream into a bowl and beat until it becomes thick and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the coconut and sugar and mix together. If you are using sweetened coconut you may not feel the need to add any sugar. Either way, there will be plenty of sugar later in the butter cream icing! Set in the fridge to keep chilled if you are not yet ready to fill the cupcakes.
3. a) Using a wooden skewer, poke a hole in the center of the cooked cupcakes, about 2/3 of the way in. Move the skewer around in a circle to dig a little "well" in the middle of the cupcake.
4. a) Spoon the Coconut Cream into a piping bag with a small narrow tip. Place the tip into the hole in the cupcake and gently squeeze the bag until the Coconut Cream fills up the hole in the cupcake and you can see that it is filled to the top.
3. b) Don't have a piping bag? Take a knife and cut a well into the centre of the cupcake about one inch in diameter at a 45* angle. You should be able to pull out a domed triangle when you are finished.
4. b) Spoon the filling into the resulting hole, but do not fill right to the top.
5. b) Cut the tip off the triangle and set it aside (or eat it). Replace the "lid" atop the filling.

Pina Colada Buttercream

1. Add the butter and half the icing sugar into a bowl and beat well until thick and creamy.
2. Add the rest of the icing sugar slowly in small batches and continue to mix until well blended. (You can add less or more icing sugar to your taste). Add the Pina Colada Mix and mix until well combined.
3. Ice cupcakes generously. Garnish with your choice of shredded coconut (toasted or not), pineapple and maraschino cherry. If you have any of those adorable drink umbrellas lying around, they make a great topper as well!

This recipe will yield about 12 cupcakes.

I thought that today I'd go with something that has completely stress-free substitutions. Not all of us are bakers, and even among those of us who are, there are some days when you just want to go with something that takes a little less effort. For this recipe, prepare two dozen vanilla cupcakes. You can do this with your own recipe, of course, or just buy a box of cake mix at the supermarket and whip those up. If you do want to do things from scratch and don't already have a favorite, I'll include one below, but rest assured, these are equally delicious whether they're completely homemade or whether you cheated a little. Likewise, strawberry jam or even a fresh strawberry can be substituted for the gelée, and rather than whipping up a frosting? Just buy a tub of whipped topping! You can easily mix and match as well - these cupcakes are very forgiving and super delicious. I thought that I wouldn't have a source, but luckily when searching for a photo, I stumbled across the site where I originally found the recipe for the filling and frosting! It can be found here. Unfortunately, the vanilla cupcake source has long since been lost to me. Without further rambling - I mean, ado - here are today's treats!

Day 4 : Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Cupcakes: Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cake flour (bleached all-purpose flour will work fine, but the cupcakes will not be quite as light)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup canola oil (vegetable or extra light olive oil also work)
1 cup buttermilk (see here for an easy substitution]

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set flour mix aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs with the whisk attachment on medium speed (15-20 seconds).
4. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed (30 seconds).
5. Add vanilla and oil and beat on medium speed (1 minute).
6. Reduce mixer speed to medium/low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mix and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. The batter should be thin.
7. Pour batter into lined muffin pan. Fill to about 1/2 full.
8. Bake for 12 -14 minutes at 350°F. Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then remove and cool fully.

Strawberry Gelée: Ingredients

1 cup strawberry puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 envelope unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup diced, fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Heat puree and sugar in a small saucepan just until it begins to bubble, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.
2. Put water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Add fruit puree mixture to the bowl and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
4. Stir in diced strawberries and chill until set.

Strawberry Mascarpone Frosting: Ingredients

1/4 cup softened butter
1 8-ounce container mascarpone, at room temperature
1 8-ounce brick cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, pureed
2 tbsp strawberry jam
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Cream butter, mascarpone and cream cheese together in an electric mixer until soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the strawberries and jam. Mix until combined.
3. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until the frosting has the sweetness and consistency you desire. If your frosting is not stiff enough to pipe, add more powdered sugar.
4. Chill until ready to use.

Assembly

1. Because of the nature of the gelée, filling these cupcakes is most easily done through the removal of a cone-shaped section of the cupcake, as described yesterday. Slice into the cupcake at roughly a 45* angle, carve out a circular cone and cut off the tip to leave yourself with a lid of sorts.
2. Spoon the gelée into the resulting hole and replace the lid.
3. Ice the cupcakes, either by piping on or slathering them with a generous coat of your nummy frosting, and garnish with leftover strawberries.
4. If you're using jam and/or whipped topping, there's nothing that needs to be done differently here. These are super easy to assemble and take a heck of a lot less time than making a layer cake - just carve, fill, replace (if you're using a strawberry, you likely wouldn't even need to replace the lid), ice and enjoy!

Day 5 : Pink Champagne Cupcakes
courtesy of sunkissedJess



Ingredients

1 box of white cake mix
1 1/4 cups champagne
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
4 to 5 drops red food color

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup champagne
1 tsp vanilla
4 to 5 drops red food color

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In large bowl, mix dry cake mix and champagne. Add oil, egg whites and food color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Store loosely covered.

Rose Frosting

For this, you unfortunately will need a piping bag and tip (the 2D Wilton tip, to be precise), but once you have that, it's deceptively easy to make professional-looking roses!

1. Fill your piping bag (with the 2D Wilton tip attached) with a generous amount of the frosting. Shake it down into the tip to ensure that there's minimal air and twist off the end to create a nice, firm bag.
2. Start from the middle and pipe a small amount of buttercream into the centre.
3. Slowly work your way around going anti-clockwise until you reach the outer edge of your cupcake. Remember to apply even pressure to your piping bag, this insures an even swirl all the way around. Once you reach the end of the rose, ease off on the pressure to allow for a smooth finish. If you have any blobs or tails, these can easily be fixed with a toothpick.
4. If desired, finish off with a decoration where the swirl ends.

This delicious idea was shared with me by bratcat - unfortunately the vegan website that I was linked to was working based off of a cookbook that I didn't have, but I was able to track down a scrumptious Mojito cupcake recipe all the same! For a vegan friendly version, try modifying your own vanilla cupcake recipe with the specifications on Veganyumyum's site!

Day 6 : Vegan Mojito Cupcakes
Courtesy of Brown-eyed Baker



Ingredients

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mint leaves, bruised
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 tablespoons white rum
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Brush the Cupcakes:
2 tablespoons white rum
2 sprigs fresh mint

For the Frosting:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons white rum

Directions

1. Combine the buttermilk and the 1/2 cup mint leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until just starting to steam (do not simmer), then remove from the heat and cover. Let steep for 15 to 30 minutes. Once finished, strain the milk into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve. The milk may appear curdled or clumpy, but don't worry, it will come back together. Press on any milk solids and mint leaves to extract all the liquid possible. Give the milk a quick stir to smooth it out and set aside.
2. While the mint is steeping in the milk, preheat the oven to 325* F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
4. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
5. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and rum. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will all come back together, power on!)
7. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.
8. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached.
9. While the cupcakes are baking, combine the rum and mint sprigs in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the rum is heated through (do not let it simmer - use low heat if you don't think you can trust yourself to watch it closely). Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep until ready to use.
10. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the mint-infused rum. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

Frosting

1. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes.
2. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the lime juice and rum and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached.
4. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with a lime wedge, some large granulated sugar or a sprig of fresh mint (keep in mind that these should be added right before you serve the cupcakes for maximum freshness - fruits and fresh herbs are very finicky garnishes).