Pomegranate cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting and pomegranate glaze

Recipe adapted from An Edible Symphony
Oven temp = 350

Pomegranate cupcakes:
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup milk
1 cup pomegranate juice (storebought or make your own if you're really ambitious)

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add in the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix in the milk, pomegranate juice, and vanilla bean paste until well combined. Fill 24 cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 deg.

Cream cheese vanilla bean frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2-3 Tbs milk (or water)

Cream together powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla. Slowly add milk, mixing continuously until frosting consistency is reached. Continue to beat the frosting until all lumps are smoothed out and the frosting is light and fluffy.

Pomegranate glaze/syrup: (from Bon Appetit)
1 cup pomegranate juice (I actually used pomegranate-blueberry juice)
4 tsp brown sugar, packed
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer/low boil and reduce until the total volume is approximately 1/4 cup. This is a very thin glaze; perhaps adding a thickening agent would be better next time.

Top the frosted cupcakes with the pomegranate glaze and pomegranate seeds. For my favorite method of how to de-seed a pomegranate, check out this site.

Pumpkin spiced chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate-vanilla swirl frosting

Oven temp = 350

Pumpkin spiced chocolate chip cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pumpkin mush
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Mix in cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla bean paste. Add pumpkin mush and sour cream. Add flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Fill 24 cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Vanilla bean frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2-3 Tbs milk

Mix powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla bean paste. Slowly add milk until frosting consistency is reached.

Chocolate frosting:
1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 Tbs butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs milk

Melt chocolate and butter. Mix into powdered sugar and slowly add milk until frosting consistency is reached.

To swirl the chocolate and vanilla frostings, fill the icing bag with chocolate frosting on one side and vanilla frosting on the other. It doesn't have to be terribly neat, but having approximately equal proportions of chocolate and vanilla frosting will lead to a better looking swirl.

Basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting

Original recipe from darkREDcrema
Oven temp = 350

Yellow cake:
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sifted (6 3/4 ounces) plain cake flour*
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted organic butter, softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces

Combine the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt - in a mixing bowl. Add in butter, one tablespoon at a time, until the butter/flour mixture resembles large pebbles. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla together. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined with no lumps. Pour into 2 greased 9inch round pans (could also make 24 cupcakes, or 1 9x13inch cake). Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

*cake flour = 1 cup all purpose flour + 1 Tbs cornstarch

Best ever chocolate frosting: (recipe from Jenn Hardee)
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbs butter
4 cups powdered sugar
7 Tbs milk

Melt chocolate and butter. Combine sugar with chocolate and butter mixture and slowly add in the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until the right consistency is reached. This frosting hardens quickly at cool temperatures, so frost quickly!

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Bailey's irish cream frosting

Original recipe from foodnetwork.com
Oven temp = 350

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 bottle (12oz) stout beer - Guinness
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

Mix together all the dry ingredients - cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and baking soda.

In another bowl combine beer, butter, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream. Then add the dry ingredients, slowly, mixing until combined with no lumps.

This recipe makes 24 full cupcakes or 2 9inch round pans (probably also one 9x13inch cake). Bake at 350deg until a toothpick comes out clean. For cupcakes this is about 25ish minutes.

Bailey's Irish cream frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
7 Tbs Bailey's Irish Cream (more for a thinner frosting, less for a thicker frosting)

Combine sugar and butter and slowly mix in the Bailey's until frosting consistency is reached.

Shredded beef tacos

Original recipe from gimme some oven!

1-2 Tbs olive oil
2 lbs beef (boneless chuck roast
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup beef stock
2 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (smashed!)

Mix the chili powder, cumin, and paprika in a small dish and cover both sides of the meat with the spice mixture. Heat 1-2 Tbs olive oil in a pan, and sear the meat on both sides. Place the meat in the bottom of a slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with the beef stock, and whisk in the tomato paste and chipotle pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil for a few minutes, until reduced, then add to the slow cooker. Add the onion and garlic to the slow cooker as well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking, pull the meat out of the slow cooker and shred. Strain out the onions with a slotted spoon and mix into the shredded meat.

Pear and vanilla bean cupcakes

Original recipe from Bite Sized Baker.
Oven temp = 350

Pear and vanilla bean cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla bean powder (or paste)
4 cups coarsely shredded pears, such as Bosc (2 pounds - 4 pears)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla bean powder. Peel pears, remove seeds, and shred over a box grater. Mix grated pears into butter/sugar mixture. Add flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Fill 24 cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Vanilla bean frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 tsp vanilla bean powder (or paste)
~5 Tbs milk

Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla bean powder. Slowly add in milk, mixing until the frosting reaches the appropriate consistency.

Iced sugar cookies

Original recipe from A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies
Oven temp = 350

Basic Sugar Cookies:
3 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in each egg in between additions. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until just combined. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out cookies in the shape of your choice. Bake 2 inches apart on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes until the edges are just browning. Cool and ice cookies.

Royal Icing:
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1 Tbs water
*can also omit egg whites and add more water to reach icing consistency; more water will make a thinner icing*

Whip sugar, egg whites, and water at high speed until the icing is thick and creamy. Add food coloring as desired.

Vanilla funfetti cupcakes with peppermint frosting

Original cupcake recipe from Kaboose.
Oven temp = 350

Vanilla funfetti cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup colored sprinkles

Mix together sugar, eggs, flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla. Add colored sprinkles and mix until sprinkles are evenly distributed. Fill cupcake cups 2/3 and bake at 350 deg for 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.

Peppermint frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs butter
10oz melted white chocolate chips
1 tsp peppermint extract
4-5 Tbs milk

Cream sugar, butter, melted chocolate, and peppermint extract. Slowly add milk until the frosting is the right consistency.

Coconut cake with coconut flake frosting

OK, so it's a photo of the dinosaur cake, and you can't actually see the inner cake part.... Oh, well.

Original recipe from epicurious
Oven temp = 350

Coconut cake
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk

Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add extracts and baking powder and mix well. Alternate between adding flour and coconut milk, in three additions of each. Mix until batter is well combined. Optional - can add 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, though I did not.

Coconut flake frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
6oz (3/4 stick) butter
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
~1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Mix together sugar, butter, and extracts. Slowly add coconut milk, until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Mix in flaked coconut.

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Bundt-Cake-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-104038#ixzz0gwsYVvwZ

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Bundt-Cake-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-104038#ixzz0gwsYVvwZ

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Bundt-Cake-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-104038#ixzz0gwsYVvwZ

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Bundt-Cake-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-104038#ixzz0gwsYVvwZ