Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes

This was a tasty little treat I made for my job's Christmas party. Rich chocolate, sweet red wine... mmm.

Cupcake ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup boiling water
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup red wine (I used a shiraz)

In heat-proof bowl, combine cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Pour in the boiling water and stir with a whisk until chocolate is all melted. In larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until all mixed. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture until well combined. Add some of the liquid chocolate, followed by some of the wine, alternating until all of it is blended. Pour into lined muffin tins, a little more full than normal because they don't rise much. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then let cool before frosting.

For the frosting, I just made a basic cream cheese (8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, tablespoon vanilla, and enough powdered sugar to get it to the right consistency). Decorate with some red sprinkles.

These were dense and rich and you could definitely taste the wine. A unique taste, but really good!

Egg Nog Cheesecake

Two of my favorite holiday treats... egg nog and cheesecake (well okay I love cheesecake year round). Why have I never before thought to combine them?!? I found this recipe online around Christmas time and it was delicious!!

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling:

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup egg nog

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

dash ground nutmeg

Directions:

Grease a 9-inch springform pan and place 2 layers of aluminum foil around the outside base. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom of the pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack while you make the filling.

In large bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Add eggs and beat on low speed until just combined. Gradually stir in the egg nog, rum extract, and nutmeg. Pour filling over the crust.

Place the foil-wrapped pan on a deep baking sheet and add 1 inch of hot water to surround it (this prevents it from burning). Bake at 325 for 60 minutes (I had to bake it longer, more like 75 minutes or so because it took awhile to set up). When done, remove from water bath and allow to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen, then cool for an hour longer. When no longer warm, stick in the refrigerator to cool overnight.

I sprinkled some leftover crumbs and a little nutmeg on top as a garnish.

I served this at my parents' traditional Christmas Eve lasagna dinner. My brother added caramel and chocolate sauce to his, I liked mine plain with a little whipped cream. Either way - the perfect Christmas Eve dessert!

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

So I know it's been for-ev-er since I've posted anything, but I have been baking so I have a lot to catch up on. Even though it is now February, I'll start with where I left off back in the fall with these super-rich sweet potato cupcakes that I made for Thanksgiving. I got the inspiration from one of my favorite cupcakes from Sara Sara in OKC. This recipe doesn't quite match theirs, but it was pretty good and a good finish to a wonderful meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 can (17 oz) sweet potato puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, baking bowder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together and set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and sweet potato puree.

Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. Add to lined muffin tins and bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

Once cooled, add frosting.

Maple buttercream frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon maple extract (this made it really maple-y, so you could cut down on this if you don't want such a strong flavor)

Beat cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add powdered sugar in portions. Stir in vanilla and maple extract.

After frosting, I topped mine with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Yum yummy!