#47 Egg Surprise Cupcakes

Hipity Hop are you ready for Easter?
I've had my lovely Easter cupcakes picked out for months. I bought a 2 pound bag of lemons to make some amazing lemon meringue cupcakes. BUT then I came across the most intriguing post over on one of my favorite blogs cupcake project. They had themselves some cupcakes baked in egg shells. YES egg shells. I stopped dead in my tracks and was amazed! Who would have thought? Right? So since this seemed a lot more interesting than carrot or lemon cupcakes I started my hunt for the number one item on my list-speckled eggs. I really didn't think they would be that hard to find since Martha uses them and all. WRONG!!!! I checked every freakin store and one egg farm in town and found nothing close to speckled eggs. The closest thing I came too was brown eggs with slight spots on top. I gave up and just bought some brown eggs at Freddy's. Now onto the second part of this baking extravaganza the batter. What should I use? I started off with some red velvet dyed purple... Yes the batter was purple but after it's baked it looked like plain chocolate cupcakes. This was not good enough so on to the second plan-marble cupcakes-which is vanilla and chocolate batters separated and then swished together to make a pretty pattern. Perfect! Other than over filling these suckers they turned out great. The only thing I would do differently is some how give them a filling. Maybe next time... Anyways grab some lovely eggs and you're favorite cupcake recipe and give these a try. They will be a huge hit!

Egg Surprise Cupcakes
This would be really fun with a vanilla cake mix separated and dyed different colors you would have a fun tye dye effect.

The Goods
12 eggs
Favorite Cupcake Recipe (I picked a marble which is vanilla and chocolate swirled together.)

The How To
Take the eggs one at a time and drill a hole into the bottom of the egg. The hole must be large enough to fit a  piping tip through. Dump the contents out.

After all the eggs have been emptied, rinse in warm water then transfer to a pot filled with water and bring the shells to a boil.

Fill the shells with water first this keeps them from floating around and crashing into each other.

Remove from pan and place shells on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 225 for 18-25mins. This will dry the shells out.

Once the shells have cooled take a cupcake tin and line the cups with foil. The foil will keep the shells from tipping over.

Once you have you're shells situated, turn up the oven to 350 degrees and prepare you're batter. Place the batter into a bag(s) fitted with a piping tip. If you don't have one just use a zip lock bag and snip the corner off.

Yummy vanilla and chocolate!

Pipe batter into shells. Aim for about 2/3rds full. If you have a two toned batter like mine make sure to alternate and swirl the batter around with a toothpick for a marble effect.

Once all the eggs have been filled bake for 18-20mins rotating half way through the baking time. Test out the centers with a toothpick and if it comes out clean then they are done.

They kinda look like a science project that went wrong!

If your eggs look anything like mine then they will have to be cleaned off. So after they have had a chance to cool, take a damp paper towel or wash cloth and carefully clean off the shells.

Tada!!! Cupcake eggs!!!!

Now go ahead and crack one open you'll be delightfully surprised :)

Enjoy!

Up Next...
Carrot Cupcakes
Seriously this time it really is!

#46 Chai-Tea Cupcakes

Yes I'm a slacker...... I actually had these cuppys made Tuesday but I just didn't get a chance to get them up and posted yesterday. These spicy lovelies were  picked by Simple Girl for the monthly Martha Stewart Cupcake Challenge. Now let me tell you I've been dying to make these for awhile! I am a HUGE lover of chai tea and I even saved some of my favorite loose tea for these cupcakes. The smell of these reminded me of spice cake. My husband said they reminded him of pumpkin pie. I wasn't a huge fan of the glaze.... Pretty much if you don't eat them right away then the frosting oozed and goes everywhere. But it did taste good!!

Chai-Tea Cupcakes (courtesy of Martha Stewart)
I did make these in regular size. Just change the bake time to 18mins.

The Goods
3/4 cup milk
2 bags black tea ( I used a combo of Golden Monkey and Taj Masala Chai Tea which are both loose black teas that can be found at Teavana)
1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
1 cup cake flour sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 heaping teaspoon cinnamon (I heart cinnamon!!)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 stick of unsalted butter room temp.
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs room temp.

The How To
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring your milk to a simmer in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the two tea bags, over pan and let steep for 15mins. Remove bags and squeeze out excess liquid.  Set aside and let the milk mixture cool completely.



Just pretend that this is in focus.... The milk will take on a light brown hue.

 Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the brown sugar and the butter. Mix on medium high speed for 2mins or until fluffy.

Add the eggs on at a time mixing well between each addition.

Reduce speed to low  and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the milky tea and beating until just combined after each.

Divide evenly among mini cupcake tins, filling about three-quarters full. Bake for 10-12mins rotating half way through the bake time. Let cool completely before glazing.

Condensed-Milk Icing

Now if you're going to eat these right away make up the glaze if not wait and make it when needed.

The Goods

1/2 stick of butter room temp

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

Pinch of salt

The How To

Combine the butter, condensed milk and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on medium-high speed until smooth.

Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the sugar. Once all the sugar has been added turn the speed up to high and whisk until thick and smooth.

Once the cupcakes have had a chance to cool completely take and dip the tops into the icing then turn over quickly and let set.

Getting fancy with the flowers in the background ;)

Since everything taste better with sprinkles I topped each with a little rainbow sanding sugar to give them a little flair.

Lovely little rainbows!

Don't forget you only have 2 days left to sign up for a giveaway from my store with Little Boys are Made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails head over there for all the details!!

Up Next...

Carrot Cupcakes

#45 You Are The Apple of My Eye Cupcakes

Now these are not your average cupcakes!!!! I had a chance to make these delightful cuppy's for a co-worker's back to school theme birthday. I  was also thinking these would be perfect for a snow white themed party too. So if you've got some time, patents and lots of extra doughnuts then bake up some of your favorite cupcakes and whip up some red frosting and and give them a shot.

You Are the Apple of My Eye Cupcakes

Get a a box of mini and regular sized doughnuts and just play around with them. The best tip I can give is to make sure the cupcakes are FIRM before covering up the doughnuts with frosting. If you don't they will start pulling away when you go to dip them in the sprinkles.


The Goods
12 cupcakes baked in red liners. I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe which I also used for the marshmallow turkey cupcakes.
4 cups of red frosting I used Martha Stewart's Vanilla Buttercream and added some red gel food coloring
12 cake doughnuts I used regular size and cut them down to fit on the top of the cupcake. You don't want the doughnut hanging over the side of the cupcake.
Red sprinkles
12 tootsie rolls
12 green sweetish fish


The How To
After the cupcakes have had a chance to completely cool grab your red frosting and put a layer across the top this will act like the "glue" for the doughnuts.




Now if you've got some mini doughnuts just cut off about 1/2in off the bottom and place them on top of the doughnut. If you have regular sized ones like me then you will have to cut them down so none of the doughnut is hanging off the top of the cupcake.

This is what your cupcake should NOT look like.

Arron is cutting them down...

Perfect!

 Now that you have the doughnuts situated place cupcakes in the freezer for at least 20mins. You will want the them firm to the touch. After they have had enough freezer time start frosting. You might have to add a little extra frosting wound the top to add some depth to the center. Work fast because they will be top heavy and the doughnut might start pulling away.

This was my first attempt with the over sized doughnut. Definitely too much hanging off the sides and doesn't look much like an apple.

They should have a nice dome appearance to them.

Make sure to smooth out the surface. Apples don't have lumpy spots!

Looking good!

After you have your cupcake frosted the way you want it add the red sprinkles. I spooned some on top then rolled the sides in a shallow bowl.

  

Once you have all the cupcakes covered cut down and shape the tootsie rolls into steams. After you get you're steams how you want them place them in the dimple on the top of the apple. Add the sweetish fish tail down.


Chopping down the tootsie rolls.

All steams and leaves added.



Now you've got a bushel of apples!!!


Since my batter made more than 12 cupcakes this gave me the perfect excused to get my favorite Easter candy and make some pre-Easter cupcakes!

Of course I had test out the normal size eggs too!

Super yummy but next time I will add the eggs half way through the bake time. Maybe this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

Added the "grass".

The perfect Easter Cupcakes!!!!

If your not feeling the marshmallows you can always check out my store for some Easter inspiration!!

Marshmallowless Bunny Cupcake Toppers

Up Next...

Chai Tea Cupcakes