Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing

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cake, chocolate, dessert, frosting, gifts, icing, peanut butter, sweets, Valentine's Day

This is another great recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride. I made them for my hubby for Valentine’s Day (as well as getting him a new bottle of his favorite cologne). I rarely love icing but this stuff is addicting. There was some left over that my co-workers and I enjoyed with graham crackers… MMMM! Your valentine will love this!

I love the Elvis curl on this cupcake!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing 

The Cake:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/8 cup dutch process cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 egg

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

• 5 oz cream cheese, at room temp
• 4 Tbsp butter, at room temp
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup peanut butter

Line 15 cups of a muffin pan with cupcake papers. Add dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer. Turn on low and add sour cream and oil. When completely mixed, add water in 1/4-cup increments until the batter is uniform. Add vanilla, vinegar, and the egg, mixing on medium until combined. The batter will be very runny. Ladle batter into the cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full. Bake for ~25 minutes, until a skewer inserted in a center cupcake comes out with moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes and then cool on wire rack completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter on high, until light and creamy (2-3 minutes). Mix in salt and powdered sugar on low speed until just combined and then beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix on high until completely combined. Ice and enjoy!

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Pear Upside-Down Cake

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cake, dessert, flowers, molasses, pastry, pear, sorghum, spring, sweets

It was in the 60s the last couple of days and I just had to get out. I went for a run and discovered the most amazing thing… Blooming crocuses and daffodils. The gorgeous flowers were such a bright spot. No matter how crummy my day is, flowers will always bring it back to a happy place. I am a little scared for them though. I just know a cold snap will come and they will die. If only real spring was closer.

Million Park is a great place to run, especially with this little field.

Mr. Honeybee is out to play…

Speaking of beautiful things, today’s recipe is a cake Rufus posted late last year and I have been longing for it ever since. Since pears are on sale this week at the grocery, I decided to make this cake (with a few minor variations). Boy was I glad I did. It was a snap to make and the presentation is lovely…

Pear Upside-Down Cake

• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs, plus one egg yolk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1/4 cup sorghum
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of cinnamon sugar

In a small bowl, toss pears with 1/4 cup sorghum, 1 tbsp lemon juice and cinnamon sugar. Set aside. Preheat oven to 325. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter on medium high until light and creamy about a minute. Add in salt and brown sugar. Beat on medium high to incorporate. Beat in eggs one at a time, ending with the yolk and then the lemon juice. (Another minute or so.) Reduce the mixer speed and beat in flour and spices until incorporated. Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment. Butter the sides of the pan and the parchment. Using a slotted spoon to drain off most of the excess juice, arrange pears on the bottom of the pan overlapping slightly in a circular pattern. Drop batter on top and smooth with a rubber spatula. It will be thick. Cook for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.