cupcakes

Run Forrest Run! | Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Sleep. Eat. Work. Run. Eat. Sleep.

Eat. Work. Run. Eat. Sleep.

Work. Eat. Yoga. Eat. Run. Sleep.

That was the jist of my life over the past week. Half-marathon training started with a bang and I’m pushing myself to establish a steady running schedule. It feels so good to be running again. Runner’s high, indeed!

The only problem is the weather. The last few days have brought temperatures as low as minus 44 degrees (celsius!) with the wind chill. Hello Winter!

I’m committed to this training. I really am. But a girl’s gotta draw the line somewhere, and for me the line gets drawn at about minus 25 degrees. Following a 7.5km run last weekend in minus 30 degree temperatures, I had a chill that I couldn’t shake for several days. Days. Thank goodness for a couple of local indoor tracks – I was able to keep up with the training schedule and get in a couple of indoor runs this week. Running indoors is a bit mundane, but it’s reassuring to know that I’ll still have all of my fingers and toes by the end of the run! I appreciate my extremities. 🙂

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), all this running has kicked my metabolism into overdrive. I am hungry all. the. time. And whether it’s wrong or right, I feel that eating cupcakes (I’m thinking right) and drinking red wine (yep, definitely right) is totally 100% justified by all of this exercise. It’s probably wrong…but if eating rich chocolate cupcakes topped with a swirl of salted caramel buttercream and then drizzled with more salted caramel is wrong, I don’t give a rough one about being right. Ever.

Plus, becoming a better cupcake decorator was one of my new year’s goals, and to become better at something, one must practice, practice, practice. I’m quite certain that taste-testing is mandatory.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

24 chocolate cupcakes – I used this, my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. It’s vegan too!

Salted Caramel Buttercream (from Good Thymes and Good Food)

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/4 cups icing sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

3 TBSP. salted caramel sauce + more for drizzling (I used store-bought, but you could make your own!)

2 TBSP. heavy cream

In a standing mixer, beat the butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add in the icing sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is combined, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until the mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla, caramel sauce, and heavy cream. Beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice. Frost the cupcakes however you wish (I used a pastry bag with a star attachment), and then drizzle with more salted caramel sauce. Filling a small Ziploc bag with the caramel and cutting a teeny, tiny hole in one of the corners worked beautifully for me. Devour!

I’m starving. What’s for lunch?

Please tell me it’s cupcakes.

One Last Taste for 2011 | Egg Nog Cupcakes

2011. A year filled with a few ups, many downs, and lots of in-betweens. I feel a buzz of excitement for the fresh start that the new year will bring. But first, one final recipe for 2011. I made these cupcakes for dessert on Christmas Day, and they were a much bigger hit than I expected. I wanted to use up the last of the egg nog in my fridge, so I thought I’d make these once more for a New Year’s Eve party that I’m heading to tonight. They really are delicious.

My brain is filled with many words, but I’m going to keep it short and sweet. Thank you my dear readers – friends, family, and strangers who come here for a little peek into my kitchen – without you, this blog would be nothing. From my heart to yours, I wish you all the best in the coming year. Cheers to happiness, love, adventure, and much more in 2012!

Much love,

Amanda

Egg Nog Cupcakes (adapted from the always lovely Annie’s Eats)

For the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon

1 cup egg nog

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 TBSP. apple cider vinegar (or plain vinegar)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

For the icing:

1 cup of butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups icing sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

2 1/2 TBSP. egg nog

1 TBSP. dark rum

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners of your choice. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and whisk together. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the remaining ingredients, and beat until well-mixed. Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for about 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing: Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add in the icing sugar and nutmeg, and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the eggnog and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Finally, add in the rum, and mix on low speed until blended.

Use a pastry bag to decorate the cooled cupcakes, or spread the icing on with a knife. For an extra special garnish, poke half a cinnamon stick into each iced cupcake, and/or sprinkle with nutmeg. Store uneaten cupcakes (not that you’ll have any) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.