Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

 

So I said I wasn't making Molly a cake for her birthday.  Well I just couldn't help myself....

 

Everyone is entitled to unlimited cakes, cupcakes and treats on their birthday so she got just that....

 

#1:  Mike made her a delicious Funfetti Cake that we all enjoyed after her birthday dinner.

#2:  Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes inspired by our favorite cake at Cru Cafe in Charleston, SC!

#3: Last but definitely not least, a fresh strawberry cake from Columbus's Golden Delight Bakery from my Aunt and Uncle.  Also, a family favorite!

 

That's THREE cakes.  I'd say she had a good birthday.

Anyways, about these cupcakes.... as mentioned above, they were inspired by the famous cake served at our favorite lunch spot in Charleston, SC.  They make limited cakes each week and once they run out, you are out of luck.  So when you go (and you must), make sure to order the Orange Sherbet Cake as soon as you sit down!  So until I can get my Cru Cafe fix, and it looks like that might be a while, I'll be relying on this recipe!

Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Happy {early} 25th Birthday, Molly! 

Her birthday isn't actually until tomorrow but the festivities begin this evening.  We like "birthday weeks" in our family.  We'll be starting with a family dinner at Rigsby's -- a great spot that we've somehow never tried.  Tomorrow will be a sister date consisting of mani's and pedi's, a walk with Gunner and lunch at Katalina's -- our favorite deli in town, not only for the great sandwiches but they also let Gunner sit on the patio with us!  We'll wrap up the celebration with another family dinner on Sunday.  A fun weekend ahead!

I didn't actually make these for Molly's birthday -- I sold them at the bake sale a few weeks ago.  BUT it is fitting that I share them today since she baked this same cake for me on MY birthday last year and this recipe is one of her favorites!  Its a classic white cake base with lots of vanilla flavor and just a hint of almond.  I'm not a fan of almond extract but the flavor is so subtle and creates great flavor.  I topped these with my favorite buttercream frosting and, of course, rainbow sprinkles are a requirement for funfetti cake.

Oh and don't you worry -- she WILL be getting a birthday cake this year.  Her fiance wanted to take on the task of baking her cake this year so I let him ;) 

Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Filling

Its not often that I make cupcakes.  I save them for vary special occasions, like birthdays and celebrations....  Speaking of birthdays -- happy birthday Caitlin and Lynch!!!  Love and MISS you two!

 

These were definitely celebration cupcakes.  My boyfriend matched at Colorado State for his residency and we couldn't be more excited!!  So proud of him :)  Since I bake for any and every occasion, I sent these into work to wish him good luck.  I'm told they were gone instantly -- always a good sign!

 

I started with a simple vanilla cupcake as my base, filled 'em with white chocolate whipped cream and topped them with my favorite vanilla buttercream. Cream filling makes everything better and it took these simple vanilla cupcakes to a whole new level. 

Old-Fashioned Banana Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I recently started a job and everyone learned very quickly that baking is "my thing".  I was lucky enough to take on the task of baking for the October birthdays.  There was mention of banana cupcakes so I went on the hunt for a great banana cake recipe.  I kept coming across Ina Garten's recipe for Old-Fashioned Banana Cake.  It had received nothing but great reviews so I went with it.  Everyone loved them!!

The cupcake itself is denser but its still very moist.  The orange zest and coconut really takes these over the top -- and of course, cream cheese frosting makes everything better.  My mom and I agreed they would be great for a brunch.  You could omit the cream cheese frosting and just top with a dusting of powdered sugar.  You could also decrease the sugar to make muffins. 

If you are looking for a more traditional banana cake recipe -- make these Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting that are one of Molly's favorites!

 

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

I have seen a lot of recipes for margarita cupcakes lately but I wanted to do something a little different.  I had strawberries in my fridge that needed to be used (buy one get one free for berries these days has me buying a little more than I can handle) and I was desperately in need for a study break.  So I thought up these decadent cupcakes.  The icing is very margarita-y, which I happen to love, and you will too, especially on a hot summer day at a cookout...with a margarita already in hand.  Ahh, love summer!

Make these...now.  These just might be the most perfect summer cupcake.

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

As Molly mentioned before, Sarah celebrated her birthday this past weekend.  I love digging through recipes deciding what to bake for the special day.  This year, after stumbling upon Dulce de Leche Cupcakes, my mind was made up.

Since sweets are still out for me, I could only rely on the words of those who were able to enjoy these -- I heard words like "great flavor" "delish!"  Sarah said the icing was amazing.  I anticipated that -- what's not to like?  Cream cheese, dulce de leche.

I don't know how much more I can bake without being able to taste test!  I asked Sarah fifty times if they tasted OK because "I hate giving treats to people unless they turn out perfect."  Did I really say that?  FACT.  A little OCD?  Yes... maybe.

For a tutorial on making your own dulce de leche (that's what I did!), check out Our Best Bites easy oven method.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Our family celebrated lots of birthdays this past weekend; our fellow blogger and sister, Sarah, and three of our aunts.  Although I missed celebrating with all four of them, I was lucky enough to have one of my aunts in town to celebrate with, so I decided that some cupcakes were in order.

The cupcake itself is a fluffy cake with specs of vanilla beans throughout and the frosting is super creamy; Swiss Meringue is a new favorite of mine!

 notice the flecks of vanilla bean

Super Soft Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

I printed this recipe from the very talented Joy the Baker, like 2 years ago.  Its been sitting in my recipe file for way too long.  I wanted to make cupcakes for a birthday gathering that a friend was hosting.  After sifting through way too many recipes, trying to think of really creative ideas -- I decided I wanted to make a plain and simple chocolate cupcake.

These cupcakes really are super soft and light (I mean light and airy, not healthy... but who thinks about that when eating a cupcake?).  You can finish them off however you would like, but I highly suggest this Buttercream Frosting.  Its the BEST.

One Year Ago: Berry Smoothie

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting

I love a good cupcake!  I find that some cupcakes are too crumbly and overpowered by sugary frosting.  These cupcakes are perfect -- not too sweet, a little bit on the "denser" side and great flavor.  

The brown sugar frosting would be perfect on any cupcake -- pumpkin, apple, chocolate, vanilla or my favorite -- red velvet.  Molly just so happened to use the same exact frosting on her Applesauce-Spice cupcakes (great minds think alike)!

Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting.  Enough said.

 I received an adorable Halloween cupcake kit in the mail from my mom last week (thanks!) and couldn't wait to put it to good use.  As soon as I received the kit I started contemplating what kind of cupcakes to make.

I have been baking with a lot of pumpkin lately so I decided to go with my next favorite Fall flavor, apple!!  The spice in these cupcakes is just the right amount and the frosting is the perfect complement, not too sweet, just right.

These just might be the most perfect Fall cupcake.  

Banana Muffins with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

I  never tried Mascarpone cheese until this recipe.  I'm glad I made these because I now know what I've been missing!  Mascarpone cheese is amazing!!!!  These are super easy to make and would impress just about anyone.  The recipe says to top the muffins with toasted walnuts, which I think would really add to the presentation, but I was in a big hurry to get these finished and didn't have time.

Family Reunion

The whole Schlater clan was reunited (minus a few and we missed you!!) a few weekends ago in Columbus for a little summer family reunion.  This is quite a feat considering some traveled from as far as Hawaii, Florida, Atlanta and South Carolina.  Since my parents' were kind enough to host this gathering, we felt it was our responsibility to make sure everyone enjoyed some good food and drink :)  We put ourselves in charge of desserts (of course) and thought we'd also add an appetizer and drink to the menu.

All of these recipes will be posted in the coming weeks.

First, we mixed up a refreshing vodka lemonade mixer.

Next, we thought this Peanut Snack Mix would be great for people to snack on before dinner was served.

These Tomato and Cucumber Bruschetta Cups caught my eye on Brown Eyed Baker.  They are such an EASY appetizer to throw together and great for summer (as long as you have a place to refrigerate them before serving!).  

I think half of these Lemon Drop Cookies were gone before we even started dinner.  As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I would love them but they exceeded my expectations.  I'm trying to find an excuse to make them again.

My mom insisted we make something with chocolate.  It is a good thing I made these Brownie Peanut Butter Cups because everyone raved about them.  Everyone always seems to be impressed by these little treats but I promise, they are so easy!

Molly made her favorite Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes.  Aren't they adorable?  I finally had the opportunity to try these for the first time and LOVED.

Watch for these recipes in the next few weeks.  If you have any favorite appetizer or dessert recipes to serve at summer gatherings, we'd love to hear from you!

Key Lime Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

These are the perfect summer treat!  The cupcake has a subtle hint of key lime that makes it very refreshing.  Although I liked the cupcake itself very much, the icing on these is what is amazing!!  This white chocolate frosting recipe can be used on just about anything.  It is so fluffy and the white chocolate doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the cake.  I sprinkled coconut on the frosting to add another element to this summer cupcake.

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

My friend's birthday was on Monday and I wanted to make her some yummy cupcakes.  Initially it was a bust.  I attempted to make Pomegranate Green Tea cupcakes...total failure.  So I defaulted to my favorite Banana Cupcake recipe and switched up the peanut butter icing.  I decided to use Martha Stewart's Honey-Cinnamon Frosting instead.  I thought this icing was more fitting for the summer.  This was a delicious combination!

Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

More cupcakes!  Since I'm a little behind on posting, I have a few treats to share from before my hiatus.  My roommate (no longer... tear) celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago.  I whipped up these double chocolate cupcakes for the big day.  Rich but delicious!

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

In honor of Molly's big move to my favorite city in the South - Charleston - I made these cupcakes for her graduation a few weeks ago.  Bananas, pineapple, coconut and walnuts PLUS cream cheese frosting -- what could be better?  

Side note -- make sure to watch the time closely because mine turned out a little dry!  Everyone still seemed to enjoy.

Also, its great to be back after a busy few weeks traveling and moving!  

... But not going to lie, kind of wishing I was back in Alaska.

Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes

We are so sorry we haven't posted anything new in a while.  It has been a crazy few weeks for us with graduation, a family trip to Alaska, and all three of us have moved!!  But we have missed our blog so much and are glad to be back :)


These cupcakes couldn't be more perfect for the first post back.  They are delicious; not too lemony and the fresh, summer blueberries are so juicy!  I made mini cupcakes and the batter made about 30 of them.  If you make normal sized cupcakes it should make about twelve.  Also, I had to whip up some more icing once I realized I didn't have enough, so I have adjusted the original recipe so that there is plenty of icing to frost all of your cupcakes (the recipe listed below shows the adjusted amounts).  Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I know its Cinco de Mayo and I should be sharing a festive recipe today, but these cupcakes took priority!  I had the honor and privilege of baking cupcakes for my roommate's boss' birthday (got that?).  After sifting through many cake and cupcake recipes -- I decided on these.  I was nervous because they sound very rich but I thought they turned out perfect!
  

The center is like a buckeye (awesome) and the chocolate cake was just right.  This could be my new go-to peanut butter frosting.  I'm thinking it would be perfect with banana cupcakes.  The chopped peanuts were my own addition (and totally optional) but I thought they added great flavor.
AND as for Cinco de Mayo -- I will be celebrating this evening.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

If you are one of those people that eats all the cookie dough before you can get a batch of cookies in the oven, these cupcakes are right up your alley!  These cupcakes taste just like cookie dough and are delicious.  The filling makes them very very rich though.  If I were to make these again (which I most definitely will), I would probably make just the cupcakes and the frosting.  I would add a little sweetened condensed milk to the frosting to make it taste just a little bit more like cookie dough since there's no filling.  However, if you like rich desserts then keep the filling for sure!  These were great :)   

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Sarah and Molly! These birthdays obviously deserved very special treats.  For Sarah, I made these lemon cupcakes because she loves lemon (obviously).  The cake bites, adapted from Bakerella, that I made for Molly will be featured in a later post.

I also found these cute pink cupcakes liners in a set at Urban Outfitters. I didn't see the kit on the website but Elinor Klivan's Cupcake Kit can be found on Amazon.com.  Aside from the cupcake liners (which are too cute), the book features 14 recipes that I'm dying to make!