Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

After a few crazy days of Fourth of July festivities, I am ready to get back into my normal summer routine. Don't get me wrong, the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday (it even tops Christmas), and I thoroughly enjoyed 4 days of picnics, fireworks, and fun time with family and friends. However, it seems like the holiday gets drawn out when it falls during the work week because my family had a full agenda for the entire long weekend.

When attending a picnic or a potluck, deciding what to bring is usually a no-brainer when I am home...dessert! I never turn down the opportunity to try a new  recipe that I have been eyeing on Pinterest. These cupcakes were a cake/frosting/garnish combination that I thought up myself, and after bringing them to two different parties, I can say they were a hit! The frosting does not have an overwhelming orange flavor, but it does add a little extra tang to the cream cheese frosting. The candied blueberries on top were easy to make, and they help make these cupcakes the star of any dessert table!

RED VELVET CUPCAKES
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. red gel food coloring
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and red gel food coloring. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the rest of the ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared mini muffin tins.

Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes before removing from pan.

Recipe from Design Bake Run

ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8 tbsp. butter
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tbsp. orange juice
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Gradually add orange juice and powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved.

CANDIED BLUEBERRIES
Egg whites
Blueberries

Lightly brush the clean and dry blueberries with egg whites. Roll in granulated sugar. Allow to dry before garnishing cupcakes.

Yields 48 mini cupcakes

Enjoy!
Bridget

Berry Cutie Pies

I hope that everyone had a happy and festive Fourth of July! The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday because of the fun traditions my family has. Red, White, & BOOM! is the large firework display in downtown Columbus on July 3rd. My family has a favorite viewing spot where we watch the fireworks with family friends each year. This year, everyone was looking forward to the finale which was a tribute to the Columbus Bicentennial. After a 25 minute display, the finale filled the sky and many fireworks were let off in one huge blast. One of the most important parts of the night is the escape route for after the show. Luckily, my dad is an expert at navigating the traffic, and this year we beat the mass exodus and made it home in 18 minutes - practically unheard of since there are over half a million people that travel downtown to watch the fireworks!

On the morning of the fourth, all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents get together to watch the Upper Arlington parade. Both of my parents grew up in UA and have been attending the parade since they were children. Our favorite part of the parade is the giant golden bear float and the OSU alumnae band. This year, the temperature reached 100 degrees, and everyone tried their best to stay in the shade! Before the parade, we get together for brunch, and I brought these adorable berry cutie pies!

Berry cutie pies are easy to make, and all of my family loved them! The colors of the fresh berries are perfect for Fourth of July. The crust is a traditional butter recipe, and it is easy to make. The berry filing is made by tossing fresh berries in a mixture of corn starch, sugar, and cinnamon. I found this recipe in my Cutie Pie recipe book which is full of bite-sized delicious desserts!

In addition to the fireworks downtown, we go to the Hilliard fireworks on the night of the fourth. My family always enjoys getting together with neighborhood friends to watch the local fireworks. I have to say, the finale is always breathtaking! Before the fireworks, we went to our friend Kelley's house to sample a festive Fourth of July cake that she made. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also moist and extremely delicious! The only ingredients required are 3 box cake mixes, food coloring, diet sprite, egg whites, and 4 tubs of whipped vanilla frosting. The cake takes time to bake because it is 9 individual layers, but the end result is worth the time in the kitchen. The recipe, which has become viral on Pinterest, can be found on this blog. Thanks for sharing Kelley!

Berry Cutie Pies
printable recipe
BUTTER CRUST:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. sugar

1 cup cold butter

3/4 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, salt, and sugar.

Cut in butter to dry ingredients using two knives, forks, a pastry blender, or food processor.

Stir in water until dough forms.

Roll out dough onto floured surface 1/8" thick.

Cut into 3" circles. Place each circle in greased mini muffin tin.

BERRY FILLING:

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup strawberries

1 cup blackberries

4 tbsp. corn starch

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together all of the berries (cut strawberries into smaller pieces)

Combine corn starch, sugar, and cinnamon.

Add berries to dry ingredients and coat completely.

Spoon the berry filling into unbaked crust.

CRUMB TOPPING:

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter (melted)

Combine flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Melt butter and stir into dry ingredients.

Mix in oats.

Sprinkle on top of pies.

Bake pies for 20 to 25 minutes.

Yields 36 cutie pies.

Recipe from Cutie Pies

Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Blueberry Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for the first time tonight and they were definitely a crowd pleaser! This recipe allowed me to experiment with many new techniques and ideas. To start, I have never baked with basil before. I love to put it on top of my homemade pizzas, but I have never put it in a cupcake. We are growing fresh basil this summer and after seeing basil used on the TV show Cupcake Wars, I decided to give baking with basil a try! I am proud to say it was a huge success. The basil was not overpowering and it paired nicely with the fresh lemon flavor and sweet blueberries. This is definitely going to be a new summertime favorite of mine (and my friends)! The basil blueberry filling was easy and delicious. I learned how to make candied lemon garnish. The cupcakes looked beautiful - Enjoy!

LEMON CUPCAKES
6 tbsp butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 lemons (zest and juice)
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup yogurt (You can experiment with whatever flavors you have in your refrigerator, I used toasted coconut vanilla light yogurt!)

This is the filling before it is cooked.

BLUEBERRY BASIL FILLING
2/3 cup blueberries
2 tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp sugar
12 basil leaves (finely chopped)

LEMON BASIL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp water
1.5 lemons juiced
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tbsp finely chopped basil

This is the cupcakes with half the batter and the filling.

BLUEBERRY REDUCTION DRIZZLE
2/3 cup blueberry
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1/2 lemon juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

This is what the finished filling should look like.

Combine the butter and sugar for the cupcakes and beat until fluffy. Add the 2 eggs. Add the zest and juice from 2 lemons. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the yogurt.

Put all of the ingredients for the filling in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and frequently stir. The filling is done once it darkens in color, the blueberries have started to decompose, and the mixture starts to thicken. Put the filling in a bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or just until it is cool and thickens slightly.

Use a melon baller and put one scoop of batter in each cupcake liner. This will be about 1/4 full. Add a spoonful of filling on the top of each cupcake. Use the remaining batter to put on top of the filling. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes.

Make sure the butter for the frosting is room temperature. Combine all of the frosting ingredients, gradually adding the powdered sugar and the finely chopped basil last.

Make the blueberry reduction sauce using the same technique that was used to make the filling.

When the cupcakes are cool, cover with frosting, drizzle the blueberry reduction, and place a fresh blueberry and candied lemon pieces on top as garnish.


Makes 12 cupcakes.


The lemon cake and blueberry basil filling was adapted from A GOOD APPETITE blog.