Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cheesecake

Supplies:
Red Velvet Mix
2 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup canola oil
5 room temperature eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vinegar


Yield: 45

Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the red velvet mix, flour, cocoa and salt.
2. Using the whisk attachment, mix the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3. Add the oil and eggs to the sugar mixture: mix until well blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and mix until it is well incorporated.
5. Add 1/2 of your dry ingredients to the batter and mix well - don't forget to scrape the bowl!
6. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk.
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6.
8. In a small dish, combine the baking soda and vinegar and immediately fold
It into your batter.
9. Bake it up!! It will make very close to 4 dozen cupcakes and one good sized cake.

Note: Buy some pre-made Philadelphia Cream Cream Cheese Cheesecake and fill your cupcakes for the ultimate WOW! Top with cream cheese frosting and you're money!! Later Cakers!

Chocolate Groom's Cake

Everyone needs a no-fail chocolate cake. Here's mine. :)

Supplies:
Chocolate Cake Mix (any will do)
Small Box of Chocolate pudding (3.9 oz)
1/4 Cup Cocoa (I prefer Hershey's Special Dark)
4 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract (I prefer Madagascar Vanilla)
1 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted salted butter

NOTE: You are entitled to change it up, but I reserve the right to take away the "no-fail" badge of you do...

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Spray your pan with a no-stick baking spray with flour. I use Baker's Joy.
3. Melt the butter. No, room temp won't work and neither will oil. This is not health class. Use the melted. Utter.
4. Pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment an turn it on you lowest setting.
5. Add room temperature eggs one at at a time until well incorporated.
6. Mix in the condensed milk and turn the speed up to medium high for 5 minutes.
7. While the eg mixture is working, and in a separate bowl,whisk together the dry ingredients. (cake mix, pudding, cocoa)
8. Turn your mixer on low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 separate additions alternating with buttermilk additions. Scrape the sides of the bowl in between additions if needed.Mix until smooth - about a minute.
9. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and stir it in by hand. Your mixture should look more like brownies than cake at this point.
10. Spread evenly into a 10x10 square pan and bake at 350 for 40 - 50 minutes.

Cheap Wine and New Beginnings

Today, with our heads held high, we start over. Refined by fire and fueled with heart, we will begin again.
With wisdom and history guiding future choices, we now stand a fighting chance.
So, tonight, we will celebrate with cheap wine and my version of spaghetti and meatballs....after soccer practice, of course.

Chocolate Salted Caramel

Butter mix, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup milk
2 cans frosting
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup dark cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 stuck salted butter
1 bag caramels (50ish pieces)
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Chop 20 Oreos and set aside.

Beat 3 egg whites until they look like this. Set aside.

White cake mix, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix on low for 3 minutes.

Scrape the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer on low and add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 cup milk. Mix about 2 minutes scraping the sides as needed. It may be a little lumpy, but it's ok as long as it looks like this.

Gently fold in your egg whites leaving them not completely mixed in. Gently fold in your cookie pieces just until mixed. If you stir too much the cupcakes won't rise properly and the cookie dust could turn the batter grey.

Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes (give or take). You'll know when they're ready because they'll look like this.

Makes a little more that 2 dozen cupcakes.

It is Hard to Tell

There always seems to be a sure fire way to tell if something is as it should be.

Easy Cheesecake Filling