Cupcake Tuesday-Honey Berry Cupcakes

I was inspired to make these cupcakes recently after suffering from a terrible sore throat. I drank SO much tea with honey, lemon water with honey, etc that it was just really on my mind, and I figured, why NOT make a cupcake?

Thus was born the honey cupcake. I frosted them with a berry cream cheese frosting, but you could do lemon, orange, chocolate, pretty much whatever you would like.

Honey Cupcakes

makes 24

2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans.

In a large bowl whip together the room temperature butter with the sugar until they get nice and light.  Add the 2 eggs, one at a time and beat for about another minute. The mixture should be a light yellow color and not the dark color of egg yolks. While the eggs are mixing in, add the vanilla and the salt.

Next, measure out your baking soda, baking powder and flour in a medium bowl.  Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.  Add the honey.  Follow that with another 1/3 of the flour, the sour cream and the last of the flour, beating well after each addition.

Scrape the sides of the bowls and mix one last time to make sure it is all combined.

Scoop into the cupcake pans using a 2 oz ice cream scoop, or filling about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.

Berry Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8 oz blocks cream cheese

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 Tablespoons mixed berry jam/preserves

3-4 cups powdered sugar 

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and the butter with a mixer until it gets a little fluffy, this will take about 2-3 minutes.

While the cream cheese and butter are mixing add in your jam.

Now slowly add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, keeping the mixer on low to let it mix in.  Once you have the right sweetness, scrape the sides and mix on medium for about 20 seconds to make sure everything is smooth.  Don't be afraid of over-beating this, you're going for a pretty light frosting here. 

Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe or frost the frosting onto the cupcakes.

To make them extra special and sticky, drizzle some honey on top!

Enjoy!

Love, 

Keely

Sunday School-Lemon Honey Strawberries

Sorry this is so late! I've been such a slacker recently!  I really enjoy being here and sharing recipes with you, so I made sure to get on here today, and share this little snack with you!

This recipe is great on ice cream, or plain, and it takes simply minutes to make!  It's so fabulous! 

The only time consuming part is just cutting up all the strawberries and squeezing the lemons, but that's just fun!

So here we go!

Lemon Honey Strawberries

Juice from 5 lemons

1/4 cup honey

16 oz strawberries

(Yes, that's it).  Juice the five lemons into a medium sauce pan and add the honey.  Bring it a boil and allow to boil for about 2 minutes.

Pour the syrup over the strawberries and refrigerate for about an hour.

Scoop the strawberries over the top ice cream, or just eat with a spoon!  

Enjoy!

Love, 

Keely

Cupcake Tuesday-Chocolate and Honey

Finding the perfect chocolate cake recipe took me forever.   I tired so many recipes, oil based, butter based, with sour cream and without sour cream, etc.

As my experiments progressed I knew I wanted two things: butter based and with sour cream.

After some messing around in the kitchen, I made my own vanilla recipe, and it's actually the base of pretty much all my cupcakes, it's insanely versatile and I love it!  Turns out that adding a touch of cocoa makes the perfect chocolate cupcake as well!

You've seen variations of it before in my Black Forest Cupcakes and my Malted Chocolate Cupcakes, but this one is the plain, all chocolate chocolate cake recipe!

It's nice and dense and moist and delicious!  It's hard to find in a chocolate cake!

Chocolate Cupcake
makes 24
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
vanilla
salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cupcake pans.

In a large bowl whip together the room temperature butter with the sugar until they get nice and light and fluffy.  Add the 2 eggs and beat for about another minute.

When the eggs are fully incorporated add in the vanilla, salt and cocoa powder.  Mix well.

Next, measure out your baking soda, baking powder and flour in a medium bowl.  Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.  Add 1/2 of the sour cream.  Follow that with another 1/3 of the flour, the last of the sour cream and the last of the flour, beating well after each addition.

Scrape the sides of the bowls and mix on last time to make sure it is all combined.

Scoop into the cupcake pans using a 2 oz ice cream scoop, or filling about 2/3 of the way full.  My rule with chocolate cake is that it should look like chocolate ice cream before it bakes

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
2 blocks cream cheese
1 stick butter
1/4 cup honey
2-3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl use a mixer and whip together the cream cheese and butter.  When those are combined, add the honey and mix well.

Next, slowly add the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time.  Beat well after each addition and taste occasionally.  Stop when you have reached your desired consistency and flavor.

Pipe or frost on top of the cooled cupcakes and drizzle with honey.  Enjoy!

Love,

Keely