{ Harry Potter Sorting Cupcakes }

Did you know that Feb. 5, 2015 is Worldwide Harry Potter Book Night?

Well, it is. You know what that means? It's time to pick up a book and dive back in. Go on, you know you want to. When is the last time you re-read your Potters? For me, it was 2 years ago. So, it is HIGH TIME I read them again.

One of the first and most exciting things that we experience at Hogwarts is the House Sorting. In my parties, I've done it two different ways. You can read about those here and here. For this idea though, I went a little sweeter. The idea came from my Zombie Party cupcakes.

It's just a cupcake of any flavor filled with a tinted cream filling. Tint your cream filling in the house colors: red for Gryffindor, blue for Ravenclaw, yellow for Hufflepuff, and green for Slytherin.

Squeeze a bit into your cupcakes, then top with a delicious buttercream. No one will be able to tell from the outside which is which. When you bite into them though...

It's a simple, but fun, and delicious way to get sorted into your House. Fun for a night of reading, watching, or a great way to sort into houses at a Harry Potter party!

If you are a seasoned Harry Potter fan, isn't it time you read them again? If you've never read them before: A. WHY NOT? and B. See what all the hype is about, pick up a book today!

It's been almost 18 years since the first Potter hit the shelves. Yet the  magic is still fresh no matter how many times we've read or seen them.

As Jo said herself:

“Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”

Thanks, Jo. <3

Tina


See these cupcakes featured at the world's largest Harry Potter site: Mugglenet.


Harry Potter Sorting Cupcakes
By Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Needed:

24 cupcakes (any flavor/recipe)
1 recipe buttercream (below)
1 recipe cream filling (below)
red, blue, green, and yellow food coloring
4 piping bags and large tip

While your cupcakes are baking, make the following:

Cream Filling:

1/2 Cup Whole (Vitamin D) Milk (not 2%, 1%, or fat free)

3 Tablespoons Flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 Cup Butter (not margarine) barely room temp

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (NOT powdered sugar)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into the milk until smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, until very thick, thicker than pudding. Remove and allow to cool fully. You can sit the pan in an icebath if you don’t want to wait.

In your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla.

Once cool,  add the flour/milk/vanilla mix to the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy.

When finished, it will look like whipped cream, but be much thicker.

*Note- you can also shortcut this by just squeezing a bit of tinted Buttercream into the middle instead of the actual cream filling. 

Portion out into 4 bowls and tint one blue, one red, one green, and one yellow for the House colors.

Set aside.

After your cupcakes are cool, add your first color to a piping bag fitted with tip. Stick your tip down into your cupcake and squeeze. You will see the cupcake puff up a bit, that is how you know you have enough. If you add too much, your cupcake will crack open.

Repeat with the other colors. Scrap off any excess cream so the color will not show outside of the icing.

Whip up a batch of 

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 lb. confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes. Beat in the sugar and salt. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and whisk on high for 4 minutes, until fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add more cream, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency.

Stir in the vanilla.

Recipe by Bakingdom

Swirl on top of cupcakes taking care to cover any hints of the color below.

Add sprinkles if desired.

{ Old Fashioned Peanut Bar Cupcakes }

When I was a kid my mom and I would make what she called Peanut Bars. They were a spongey white cake that we cut and rolled in a glaze. After the glaze came the finely chopped peanuts. We would spend, what seemed like, hours making these. Bake, cool, cut, glaze, roll, dry, glaze, roll, dry. Then, we would wrap them in plastic wrap two at a time. We'd put them into containers and we'd take them to the local hospital's Christmas Bazaar. There, they would FLY off the table. They were super popular. Within an hour they would all be gone, and we would still have people asking. Mom always kept some at home though. They were my very favorite. Laborious, yes, but so worth it.

I've totally shortcut this process with these cupcakes. While not QUITE the same, these are a white cake, not a sponge, the taste is still there. My hub,who never had the peanut bars, very much adores these cupcakes.  They are so easy, so woohoo for that!

Make these for someone in your life who loves peanuts- you won't be sorry!

Upon my googling, I also found these Peanut Bars called Blarney Stones. I have yet to figure out WHY they are called such a thing, but who cares.. delicious!

Tina



Old Fashioned Peanut Bar Cupcakes
By Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

For the cupcakes:

You will use white cake. Use a favorite recipe or from a box.

For the glaze*:

2 cups powdered sugar- sifted
4-5 Tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small mixing bowl, whisk milk and vanilla into powdered sugar until glossy.

For the topping:

2 cups finely chopped peanuts*


One at a time, dip cooled cupcakes into glaze and then roll in nuts. Allow glaze to dry. Once dry, repeat the glaze/nut process. Allow to dry again.


*Depending on how much you glaze or roll in peanuts, you may need slightly more or less

{ Easy Peanut Butter Cupcakes }

In under two months I will be in Orlando.

This long planned, long saved for, long awaited trip is under two months away. I can't even believe it.

Soon, I will walk down Diagon Alley. I will stop at Florean Fortescue's and have a bit of ice cream. Peanut Butter & Strawberry? Um. Probably not. I'm liking the sound of Butterbeer or Clotted Cream though!

Minus two months until the Magic Kingdom and Mickey Mouse. -2 until Epcot. Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom. And Darla! Under two months until I meet my geek mate IRL!! Exciting times, my friends.

Until then... I give you, PB cupcakes. Because why the heck not?

These are the eassssssssssiest PB cupcakes ever. You need a box mix, ingredients listed on the back, and peanut butter. That's IT.

You're welcome.

These are great topped with peanut butter buttercream, with PB buttercream and a dab of jelly for PB&J cupcakes, with vanilla buttercream, or, as Bean likes them, with chocolate buttercream. Obviously.

Whip up a batch today!

I will eat one and dream of hot Orlando days and fireworks filled nights.

I. Can't. Wait.

Tina



Easy Peanut Butter Cupcakes
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Preheat oven to 350 F
Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers

1 box white cake mix & ingredients listed on back
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Mix cake according to back of box, then beat in peanut butter.

Scoop into prepared liners & bake according to back of box

Top with Peanut Butter Buttercream, Vanilla Buttercream, or Chocolate Buttercream

{ Cotton Candy Cream Cupcakes }

My count on cupcakes for the month of April, so far, is 26 dozen.

I'm tired of cupcakes. Cupcakes are dumb.

Wait, no, what am I saying? Forgive me cupcakes. Please, please forgive me.

I'm just a little tired of you right now. Don't worry, it won't last long!

I've made cupcakes for a fundraiser (twice), I've made cupcakes for a party, I've made cupcakes for a friend, and lastly, I've made cupcakes for a baby shower. That's where these come in.

If you didn't guess already, my friend Julie is having a boy!

 With all the other baking I'd been doing, I decided to keep these simple and start with a box mix. From there, I added grocery store cotton candy (you can usually find it in the candy or chip aisle), some sprinkles, a little vanilla to the batter, filled with a lovely cream filling, and then topped with a cotton candy buttercream.

While a very sweet cupcake, these are Bean's new favorite. He really LOVES them.

You can top your cupcakes with a bit of Cotton Candy, but do not add it until just before serving or it will dry up and get all yicky (professional term). I decided to top mine with shiny, pearly Sixlet and some blue sugar crystals.

If I were making these for a different occasion, I would have done a plain buttercream tinted pink as well, and swirled on a bit of pink, then a bit of blue for a truer cotton candy look.

These are still pretty cupcakes though. You can see little bits of the cotton candy peeking out of the top of the cupcake, and when you bite in, you will definitely see it and your sprinkles.

Much fun!

While I am, in fact, quite tired of cupcakes, I have more ideas for them up my sleeve... as always!

Tina


Cotton Candy Cream Cupcakes
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

For the cupcakes:
1 box White Cake Mix plus ingredients listed on back of box
1/2 cup cotton candy (more for garnish, if desired)
1 Tablespoon blue jimmie sprinkles (or blue and pink)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preaheat oven to 350 F.


Prepare cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

Mix up cake as directed on back of box. Add in vanilla. Pack 1/2 cup cotton candy in a measuring cup. Once measured, break it up and mix into the batter. Lastly, add the jimmies and beat lightly to avoid streaking.

Scoop batter into liners and bake according to box.

While the cupcakes are baking, start the cream filling.

Cream filling:

1 Cup Whole (Vitamin D) Milk

5 Tablespoons Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Butter (not margarine) barely room temp

1 Cup Granulated Sugar (NOT powdered sugar)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into the milk until smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, until very thick (thicker than pudding). Remove and allow to cool fully. You can sit the pan in an ice bath if you don’t want to wait.

In your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. 

Once cool, in the flour/milk and beat until fully combined. Add in the vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

Finished it will look like a thick whipped cream.

When the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the cream filling into the cupcakes. (See here for instructions if you do not know how.)

Top with Cotton Candy Buttercream

Cotton Candy Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. (about 4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup packed cotton candy

blue food coloring

With mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Add cotton candy to heavy cream a little at a time. It will melt into the cream. Add heavy cream/cotton candy liquid to butter/sugar mixture. Beat on high for 4 minutes.  If too thick, add more cream 1/2 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Pipe onto filled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, sixlets, cotton candy, etc.

Buttercream adapted from Bakingdom
Cream filling recipe from Tasty Kitchen

 Linked up on Tip Junkie

{ Maple & Brown Sugar Cupcakes }

Friday night was an awesome time for our youth group. I posted a few months ago about our youth pastor leaving to move to California. Once there, he thought he would not be able to come home for an entire year. I'd been telling the kids this since he moved. Though his amazing wife was able to come home for Christmas, he couldn't due to his new job. A few weeks ago however, he got the OK for a few days off work. He was coming home for a weekend! The kids knew nothing of this. At our event on Friday night, in he walked. It was so much fun to see their reactions. At first they were just stunned (except one of our girls who immediately ran across the room and, well, basically tackled him), then they quickly crowded around him.

I loved seeing them with him again. It's only been six months, but for a teenager, that is a long time (if we are being totally up front here, it seemed like a really long time to me too!). They played Ultimate Frisbee with him, then the gathered around and listened to him talk about his life and new job in California.

Sunday morning he led worship and then preached to our teens. There may have been a slight bit of bragging on his part, "I moved to California... and had NO snow".  Polar Vortex here and he had 84 degrees and sunny.  WHAT. EVER. Rude.

It's really amazing to see how much one person can change people's lives.

They all love him so much. And, eh, I think he's ok too.

Ha.

Anyway, many cupcakes were consumed Friday night. I'd make about 78. Then, I made him another dozen and a half yesterday, because California is far and 6 months is long.

Since he told me my cupcakes were better than Casey's Cupcakes out there in LA, well... I kinda had to right? ( I made his favorite cream filled cupcakes .) Fact is, he and his wife have me wrapped pretty tight. You'd understand if you met them. ;)

These cupcakes are actually some they've not had. (However, you know if they ask when they come back in September, I will totally make them, right?).

I LOVE maple. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. So, yeah. Maple and brown sugar cupcakes seem like they need to be in this world, right?

And so it was.

Maple cupcakes with a brown sugar buttercream.

Because I said so.

Tina





Maple & Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Cupcakes
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 16 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F

Line cupcake pans with paper liners, set aside

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and maple flavoring; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing until the dough comes together and looks sandy.

Add about 1 cup of the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly add the remaining egg mixture, with the mixer on low speed, until incorporated. Scrape the bowl, if necessary, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for about 20 seconds. The batter will just barely look a little curdled.
Divide that batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Frost with Brown Sugar Buttercream, then sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar.

Brown Sugar Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. (about 4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

With mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Beat in brown sugar. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Add in vanilla. If too thick, add more cream 1/2 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.


Cake & Buttercream adapted from Bakingdom

{ Coffee House Cupcakes }

I hate my phone company.

I'm one of the few people left in the world that has that archaic thing known as a 'land line'. Ever heard of it? It's the kind of phone your granny used, remember now?

For the last 3 weeks we've had static on our line. Not just a little buzz buzz, but static so loud you can hear nothing else. This also makes our DSL go out. Look, no one messes with my internet. I need things. I must talk to people. I must window shop at Amazon. I must research things. I. MUST. This is important lifing, people!

I've called the phone company 4 different times. Twice they've been out to 'fix' it. Whenever he shows up, nothing is wrong. Why you mess with me Gods of the Phone Line? What did I ever do but love you?

The other day, I called and they were too overloaded to take my call. Please press one to have an operator call you back.

It went something like this:

Presses One

Thank you for calling Your Crappy Phone Company, have a great day...

Dial Tone (well, cells don't have dial tone, but I'm adding it for dramatic effect)

TINA HULK RAGE

Yesterday I called back again, and they won't be here to fix my, nearly month old, problem for three days.

You know those moments in life when you just NEED a cupcake? Not WANT a cupcake. NEED.

Yeah. This was one of them.

These are what I like to call Coffee House Cupcakes. They are infused with coffee and cinnamon and topped with a chai buttercream. Just to top it all, I added a little grated chocolate to the tops... Because.

I LOVE chai. If you do too, solider on with me.

If you've never had Chai, well, it's spicy. Almost a little fall like in flavor. A good chai latte can totally make my day. I'm easy like that.

A chai latte doesn't actually have coffee in it, but I added just a bit to the cupcakes to really bring out the chocolate flavor.

I may have eaten two of these the other day after my Hulk Rage.

It may have happened.

Tina

Want MORE coffee house style treats? You KNOW you do! Head over to my friend Darla's place at Bakingdom and check out her amazing Espresso Cookie Butter Rice Crispy Treats! YUM-MAY.



Coffee House Cupcakes
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Preheat oven to 350* F

Prepare  tins with cupcake liners

For the cupcakes:
1 box dark chocolate cake mix
Ingredients listed on box to make the cake, less 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup brewed and cooled coffee
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix cake according to box, except use 1/4 cup of coffee in place of 1/4 cup of the water.
Add in cinnamon, beat until distributed.

Scoop into liners and bake according to box


For the Buttercream:
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2-4 Tablespoons brewed and chilled chai tea

Beat butter on high for about 3 minutes. Slowly add in powdered sugar and salt, beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix. Starting with 2 tablespoons, mix in the chai tea. If too thick add more, a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.

{Simple Snickerdoodle Cupcakes}

My baby Bean went to his girlfriend's Homecoming this past weekend. Her Junior Homecoming. How can they be Juniors? That's just crazy talk.

I've gotten to the point where I can barely say "I can't wait" anymore. Time passes SO quickly, I can, in fact, wait. While there are things coming up that "I can't wait" for, like Christmas, the new Hobbit movie, our trip to Florida next year with Darla... I can WAIT. I don't want to wish time away, it's too darn precious. Sigh.

So, my Bean and his Girl.

1. Aren't they cute? I think so too.

and B. SLOW DOWN the growing! TOO FAST.

So, last week, I posted about the sadness that abounds here at the moment. I mentioned in that post that I made two different kinds of cupcakes that day. This recipe is for the second batch.

I love. love. love. Snickerdoodle cookies. My love for them is so deep that I created my Pumpkindoodle cookies. It seemed only right that I make Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. There is pretty much nothing NEW on the internet anymore, but these Snickerdoodle cupcakes start with a box mix.

You're welcome.

You'll add a bit of cinnamon to the batter, and, a few minutes into the baking, you'll add a little cinnamon sugar mix to the top of the cupcakes. It adds a great crunch to them. I really love it. Yes, I totally just patted myself on the back there. I'm sorry... but not really, cause YUMMEH. Then, you'll top it all with a Cinnamon Buttercream, and to top the top... sprinkle more cinnamon sugar. YES.

I have to say that these are some of my favorite cupcakes to date, and they are just so dang easy.

They are Bean's new favorite too!

Cinnamony and sweet, they are a lovely little cake.

I think you'll like them too. Try them soon, and be sure to slow down and enjoy the moments around you. They go far too fast.

Tina


Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Recipe by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Yield: 24 standard size cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350* F

For the cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients listed on box)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cinnamon Sprinkle:
6 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine together. 

Prepare cake according to box directions. Add in cinnamon and vanilla and mix to combine.
Scoop into prepared paper lined cupcake pans. Bake for 5 minutes. Open oven and pull out rack a little (do not remove pans from oven). As quickly as possible, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon sprinkle over the tops of the cupcakes. You will have leftover cinnamon sprinkle. Return to bake for 14-16 more minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

For the Cinnamon Buttercream:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb. (about 4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

With mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt and cinnamon until well combined. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Beat on high for 4 minutes. If too thick, add more cream 1/2 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.


Pipe onto cupcakes. Top cupcakes with the remaining cinnamon sprinkle.


Buttercream adapted from Bakingdom

{Easy Caramel Buttercream}

Ohio is bipolar. I'm being serious here. I think Ohio has some major issues she needs to work out this year. This summer has been cool. As in, too-cold- to-get-in-the pool-except-for-maybe-6-times-cool.

Sure, it was an extraordinarily pleasant summer for me. I'm not a 90+ degree sweaty Betty kinda girl. Give me a nice 80 degrees with a breeze and I'm a happy, happy chica. Bean though? While not great in the heat himself (especially not our lovely Ohio 100000% humidity hot) being the coughy, wheezy, asthma man he is, LOVES to swim. Loves it. Loves, loves, loves it.

This summer though? Uh. No. Sorry. Swimming season is over, in JUNE. All of July, all of August, save for about 1 week were cool. The one week it WAS nice and hot, the kid? Yeah, got Swimmer's Ear and was not allowed in the water (even with earplugs) for 10 days.

Fast forward to September and mother of all that is good and mighty, it's suddenly 92 degrees again. Ok, what?? Our pool is closed for the season (I'm using the word "season" lightly this year) and it's holy hot. However, Thursday it was 92, Friday? 60. You're killing me, Ohio. For serious. Pick. A. Season. We don't even care which at this juncture... Just. Pick.

So, yeah.

Sorry, I have no segue for this conversation, so let's just move forward from here.

You know what's a beautiful thing?

Buttercream.

You know what's even better?

Caramel Buttercream.

For really.

There are a ton of Caramel Buttercream recipes out there that are complicated. Making the caramel to add and such. Sure, you can do that. They are delish, but... sometimes fast and easy is the way to go.

In that case, I gotcha covered. You're welcome.

Basic buttercream ingredients, plus one... caramel ice cream topping.

That's it. Easy. Tasty. The end.

Excellent, of course, on chocolate cake, but really lovely on spice and white cakes too.

Give 'er a try.

Now that it's cooled back down, I'm looking forward to cranking out some fall recipes (like the Pumpkin Bread I just posted. Of course, it was totally 90+ degrees that day, but DUDE, I NEEDED a pumpkin infusion STAT).

Next up? Something appley! YUS.

Til then,

Tina

P.S., see, I told you I wouldn't talk about Harry Potter in this post! Ha! Wait, what do you mean I just did?


If you haven’t already,  you can ‘like’ my Facebook page here, and follow me on twitter here, and you can follow me on instagram here.

Easy Caramel Buttercream
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup shortening (I prefer Crisco)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
pinch of salt
Milk*

Beat the butter and shortening until fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes. Add in the salt and ice cream topping. Mix until distributed.

**you shouldn't need any milk with the liquid ice cream topping, but if you find the buttercream too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Drizzle extra caramel topping on top of cupcakes/cake if desired.

Easy Salted Caramel Buttercream variation
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup shortening (I prefer Crisco)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (sea salt)
Milk

Follow instructions above