Tiramisu Cupcakes 

Cadbury Flake Cupcakes 

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Vanilla Flower Cupcakes

Chocolate Fairy Cupcakes

White Chocolate Sponge Cake With Chocolate Ganache 

Carrot Cake Squares

Mini Mocha Cupcakes

Inside-Out Neapolitan Layer Cake

Yield: One 3-layer, 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups (400 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon (7 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (10 g) kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cup (360 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) mayonnaise

• 5 large fresh egg whites (150 g)
• 1-1/4 cup (250 g) superfine granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups (340 g) (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 5 oz (150 g) quality bittersweet chocolate
• Few drops Strawberry Flavor Oil, or 2 tablespoons (30 ml) strawberry puree
• Few drops pink gel colour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment rounds, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until lighter in color and slightly increased in volume, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the salt to the dry ingredients after sifting, and whisk dry ingredients.
4. Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk into creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated, or finish by hand gently. Fold mayonnaise into batter with a whisk, until just blended.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. If possible, weigh the batter in each cake pan for 454 g each (excluding the pans—you will want to tare the scale each time.) This ensures even layers. Smooth with small offset palette knife, and bake for about 30 minutes, rotating once after 20 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick or skewer comes barely clean. Try not to over-bake. I tend to under-bake a few moments, so the skewer is a little bit gummy. This works well for a moist chocolate cake (not vanilla).
6. Let pans cool on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.

1. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
2. Place bowl back on mixer and fit with whisk attachment. Whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes, or longer). Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).
3. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.

1. Divide buttercream into 3, and flavour 1/3 chocolate and another 1/3 strawberry. Leave remaining buttercream vanilla. For chocolate, add melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate and blend until combined. For strawberry, add a few drops of Strawberry Flavor Oil (minimal) or 1-2 tablespoons of strawberry puree. Add a few drops of pink gel food colouring to strawberry buttercream
2. Trim any doming on your cake layers with a very sharp, serrated bread knife. Wrap layers in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes in freezer.
3. Spread a 1” circle of icing onto an 8” round thin cake board using an offset palette knife and place the first cake layer on top, face-up.
4. Using a small offset palette knife, spread 1 cup of chocolate buttercream on top, leaving about a 1” gap from edges. Place second cake layer on top, face up, and repeat, using Vanilla Buttercream.
5. Place final layer on top, face-down and repeat using Strawberry Buttercream.
6. Fill 3 piping bags with remaining buttercreams fitted with Wilton 8B decorative tip, or the tip of your choice, decorate edges, filling in gaps. Top with dark chocolate sprinkles.

Notes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
recipe by Lauren Kapeluck
(makes 28 cupcakes)

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In large bowl combine all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk until well combined.
3. Add oil and sour cream and mix together with whisk.
4. Gradually add water and continue to whisk.
5. Add vanilla and eggs and whisk until combined.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
7. Bake for 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
9. Once cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center of your cupcakes using a Cupcake Corer or Apple Corer.
10. Fill centers will Cookie Dough and frost with Cookie Dough Icing.  Garnish with chocolate chips and a mini Cookie Dough cookie.

For the Cookie Dough filling:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
2. Gradually add in flour and sweetened condensed milk and mix until well combined.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. If dough seems too sticky, put in refrigerator to set up for about 30 minutes before filling cupcakes.
5. Fill center of cupcakes with Cookie Dough.  I used a melon baller to get a consistent size ball for each cupcake.
6. Roll out the left over cookie dough using a rolling pin and cut out mini cookies using a small circle cutter.  Chill the dough cookies until they are firm and then use to decorate the tops of the cupcakes.

For the Icing:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
2. Gradually add in flour and confectioner’s sugar mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl.
3. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
4. Mix in vanilla.
5. Continue to mix icing for 3-4 minutes.
6. Place icing in piping bag fitted with large round tip and swirl on top of cupcakes.
7. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top if desired.

Lollipop Gumball Cake

ballerina inspired

Blueberry Rainbow Cake

For the White Velvet Cake
135 gram egg whites (about 4 1/2 large egg whites)
240 gram milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
300 gram flour (plain)
300 gram sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
170 gram butter, soft
Blue icing color (I used Wilton sky blue and royal blue)
300-600 grams lemon curd (I used 300 grams for half a batch white velvet cake)
Blueberries

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the soft butter and mix on low speed. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture and mix until well combined. Repeat twice.

For 3 layers: Divide the batter into three bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Use 8-inch cake pans and bake in the oven for 25-30minutes.

For 6 layers: Divide the batter into 6 bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Stir and pour into 6-inch cake pans (about 15 cm). Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean

For 12 layers or 2 small cakes: Divide the batter in 12 bowls. In the first bowl add a tiny drop of icing color. In the second bowl add two tiny drops and so on. Use 4-5-inch cake pans (10-12cm) and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small spatula and invert cakes onto wire racks.

Place the layer who only had one tiny drop of color on a cake plate. Spread lemon curd with a spoon or small spatula over the first layer, make sure it’s well covered . Repeat process with the layer who hade two tiny drops of color and so on. Finish with a layer of lemon curd on the top and decorate with blueberries.

Cake & Recipe: Lisa Lundqvist of Sockerrus