Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cupcake

This is THE cupcake that started it all.  The first real Faking Fancy Cupcake that I concocted that made me think you can Fancy-up any cake mix.  I'll be making these this weekend for my sister's birthday, so I thought I'd finally share this yummy recipe that was inspired by a cake my former colleague's wife made from scratch.  For this perfect flavour combination you'll need...  

• Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• Milk (to replace the amount of water your cake mix calls for)
• 4 ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate (melted - for cake)
• 2 cups of Cool Whip (one for the icing and one for the glaze)
• 4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate(melted - for glaze)
• 1 - 8oz package of Cream Cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 3/4 cup Icing Sugar 
• Garnish Ideas: Halves or crumbles Peanut Butter Cups 

And here's the recipe...

Step 1: As per usual, kinda  follow the directions on your Chocolate Cake Mix. Go ahead and preheat your oven and add the oil and eggs...but DO NOT add the water. Instead, replace the water it calls for with Milk.  Mix the ingredients together until it is smooth.

Step 2: Melt down the 4 ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate. Be careful not to overheat or burn the chocolate - use a double boiler if you're prone to burning chocolate in the microwave.  Mix the melted chocolate into your batter until fully incorporated.  .

Step 3: Spoon the batter into your cupcake liners and bake as directed on the package. Once they are done baking, let them cool completely

Step 4: While you're waiting for your cupcakes to cool, start making the glaze. Melt together 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate.  Add one cup of Cool Whip and mix well until fully incorporated.  Let the glaze cool while you move on the the peanut butter cream cheese icing!

Step 5: Now for the yummy peanut butter cream cheese. Beat the Cream Cheese and Icing Sugar together. Add in the peanut butter and remaining one cup of Cool Whip. Mix well until it is smooth.

Step 6: Now it's time to put it all together.  Spoon or pipe on your peanut butter cream cheese icing.  You'll be topping it with the chocolate glaze, so you can be extra lazy and sloppy on this step.

Step 7: Next, place the warm chocolate glaze mixture in a piping or a Ziploc bag.  Cut the tip off the bag and drizzle as much, or as little, as you want over the top of each cupcake.  For garnish, top with half a peanut butter cup or peanut butter cup crumbs.  If you aren't eating these delicious cupcakes right away, I'd recommend keeping them in the refrigerator or in a cool place for optimal cream cheese icing enjoyment.

Happy Faking!

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Chocolate Peanut Banana-Buster Cupcake

When I was little, I grew up on two sandwiches: peanut butter & jam AND peanut butter & banana.  I've already made a cupcake version of my first classic childhood sandwich, so I felt it was time to make my other favourite as I bid farewell to my apartment and tiny galley  kitchen.   For this kinda healthy recipe you’ll need…

• Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water...but you won't need the water for this one, but maybe some milk!)
• Store bought Vanilla Icing
• Store bought Chocolate Icing
• 2 medium over-ripened  bananas puréed (you'll need enough to make up the  amount of water your recipe calls for- if you don't have enough banana just add some milk to top it off)
• Butter (room temperature...around 1 cup....but it's up to you)
• 1/3 cup Peanut Butter
• Icing Sugar (optional)
• Garnish Ideas: Peanut or Chocolate Covered Peanut

And here's my half healthy recipe...

Step 1: Preheat your oven as directed on the cake mix package.  Add all the ingredients your Chocolate Cake Mix calls for EXCEPT for the water.  Instead of the water, replace the called for amount with puréed bananas. If you don't have quite enough bananas, top it off with some milk. You'll want to use really ripe bananas, ideally over-ripened bananas because they are easier to purée and taste better too. Mix the ingredients together until it is smooth.

Step 2: Spoon the batter into your cupcake liners and bake as directed on the package.  Once they are done baking, let them cool completely.

Step 3: On to the icing.  For this cupcake I made two icings for fun!  Really you could just make one, but I decided to go big since I'm leading my home!  First, icing number 1... this is the chocolate one that isn't really necessary.  All you need to do is mix together your chocolate store bought icing and 1/2 cup of butter on high until smooth.  Taste the icing and add some icing sugar if it tastes too buttery for your liking.  For icing number 2... the most important icing since it has the peanut butter... mix together your vanilla store bought icing, 1/2 cup of butter, and 1/3 of a cup of peanut butter on high until smooth.  If it seems too runny or isn't sweet enough for you, just add some icing sugar.

Step 4: Now it's time to ice your cupcakes.  First, layer on your chocolate icing.  I just used a spoon. After that, it's time to add the peanut butter icing.  I put mine in a piping bag and used tip #1M.  And that's it!  If you want to garnish your cupcake, you could use a Peanut or a Chocolate Covered Peanut.

Happy Faking!

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake

So here it is, my recipe for the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake. I know, it's already a childhood classic, so why mess with a good thing? Well, I say why not make a good thing even better by cupcakeifying it. Yes, I just made up the word cupcakeifying, but some day it may be added to Wikipedia making it a legitimate word:) On a side note, this is my cupcake I entered in the Chatelaine contest, so please be sure to vote for it by clicking HERE. The contest closes February 28, 2011, so please vote for me.  I could win a new mixer!  And as a friend of mine said yesterday evening in her pitch for why you should vote for me, "If she wins a mixer, everyone wins" - thanks KM!  How true is that! So please vote.

Alright, now on to the recipe for my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcake.  Here's what you'll need:

• Marble Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• 1/2 cup of Jam (I used Raspberry Jam without the seeds)
• 1-8oz package of room temperature Cream Cheese (I usually use Light Cream Cheese, but it's up to you) 
• 3/4 cup of Icing Sugar
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
• 1 tub of Cool Whip (I usually use light Cool Whip)
• 6 ounces of Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Step 1: Follow the direction of your marble cake mix including: 1) preheating your oven, 2) adding the eggs, oil, water, etc, 3) measuring 1 cup or so of the batter and pouring it into a separate bowl and 4) mixing in the cocoa package to the 1 cup of batter.  With all that out of the way, now it's time to add the jam!

Step 2: In the remaining vanilla batter add around 1/2 a cup of your favourite jam.  Just so that I've put it out there, I have never done this recipe with a chunky jam and have my doubts on how it would turn out, so consider yourself warned:)  Mix the jam in really well with a mixer.

Step 3: Spoon your jam flavoured cupcake batter into your cupcake pan liners, only filling them just over 1/2 way.  Then, spoon a tablespoon or so of the chocolate batter in the centre of the jam flavoured batter.  Place them in the oven and bake as directed on package.  As they bake, the chocolate batter will bake through to the middle of the cupcake.  Once they are done baking, let them cool completely before icing.

Step 4: While your cupcakes are baking, why not make the yummy peanut butter cream cheese icing.  Cream together one package of cream cheese, 3/4 cup of icing sugar, 1/2 cup of peanut butter and 1 cup of Cool Whip until smooth.

Step 5: With the cream cheese icing out of the way, it's on to the chocolate glaze.  Melt together the 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and the last bit of the Cool Whip.  Let it cool while you wait for your cupcakes to cool completely.

Step 6: Once your cupcakes are cool, it's time to layer on the icing and glaze.  Use a piping bag with a large circular opening (I like to use tip #12) and build a nice little mound of icing on top of your cupcake.  You could just spoon it on because you'll be topping it with a chocolate glaze that will cover up your laziness. With the icing layered high, it's time for the chocolate glaze.  Place the warm chocolate glaze mixture in a piping bag or a Ziploc bag.  Cut the tip and drizzle as much as you want over the top of each cupcake. Finito!  

Happy Faking!

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