A New Cupcake Recipe

Spicy Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Hi Everyone,

Yes it has been too long since I posted here on my blog.  However, I do have a new recipe for you all.  It is for my Spicy Caramel Apple Cupcakes.


Spicy Caramel Apple Cupcakes

1 box of spice cake mix (any brand, I use either Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines)
Follow the cake recipe on box with the exception of water, replace that with 1 cup of apple juice.
Fill cupcake papers and bake according to package directions.  Then let cool.  Fill, frost, drizzle and sprinkle.   Before filling cut a small hole in middle of the cupcake about 1/2 through the cupcake for the filling.

Filling:

Cut, core, peel and coarsely chop 4 MacIntoch apples.  In a sauce pan pour 1 cup of apple juice and add apples.  Mix in 3/4 - 1 cup of dark brown sugar, 2 pinches of salt, and 2 T. of flour.  Cook and mixture thickens.  Let cool before filling the cupcake.

Frosting

Use a basic butter cream recipe, but instead of using vanilla use caramel extract.  The extract is a thick dark brown which will make your frosting a light tan color which gives it a caramel color.  Then drizzle caramel sauce over cupcakes and sprinkle with almost finely chopped pecans.

ENJOY!!!

Well thanks for visiting me here in Nana's kitchen.  You are always welcome to stop by.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet

Zucchini Bread

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while since I posted a recipe on my kitchen blog.  This morning I made homemade zucchini bread, with zucchini from our garden  I used a recipe from one of my cookbooks, but I altered the recipe a little.  Below is the recipe.  The original recipe is from "Old Pioneer Recipes"  by Bear Wallow Books.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, well beaten
1 3/4 cups of brown sugar *
1/4 cup white sugar *
1 cup of oil
1 tsp. of orange extract *
2 cups grated raw zucchini,drained
2 cups of flour
1 Tbs. of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of nutmeg and ground cloves *
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 package of Salad Pizazz! Orange Cranberry Almondine chopped *
1/4 cup of orange juice *

Combine beaten eggs, sugars, oil and orange extract.  Beat mixture thoroughly.  Stir in grated zucchini. Chop Salad Pizazz and add orange juice and then add to wet ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour into 2 well greased and floured loaf pans.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 60 minutes.

You can serve warm so the butter will melt.

ENJOY!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the recipe.  Stop by any time you are always welcome in Nana's Kitchen.

Happy Baking,
Janet

Baked Mashed Potatoes

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever had left over mashed potatoes and did not know what to do with them.  Here is an idea you might find delicious, I know my husband Jim did.

Baked Mashed Potatoes.

I took my leftover basil mashed potatoes (about 3 cups) added 1/3 cup of half & half, 1/4 cup of Marzetti's Sweet Vidala Onion Dressing and a 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, season with some slat/pepper, onion/garlic powder and a little thyme.  I love spices and herbs.  Mix all together and pour into a greased (I use spray oil) top with more shredded sharp cheddar cheesed and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and just a little crispy on the edges.   They will be very soft and delicious.   Enjoy!!!

Well this is the recipe for this post.  don't throw those leftover mashed potatoes away.  Create a dish that your taste buds will love.  Give it a try.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Kitchen.  You are always welcome, stop by anytime.


Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie, and Ngan's Nana)

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Strawberry Lemonade Cucakes

Hi Everyone,

Here to let you know about my Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.  YUMMMMY!

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Supreme Duncan Hines Cake Mix
1/4 c. lemon juice
3/4 c. water
1 t. of lemon extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup of oil

Filling:
strawberries pureed with sugar

Frosting
Butter Cream Frosting with strawberry puree.  Use regular butter cream (Wilton's) add strawberry to the frosting and pipe on cupcakes.

Close up of my Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes




Well got to run.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting here in Nana's Kitchen.  Stop by any time.  You are always welcome here.





Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

My Decorated Cake

Hi Everyone,

As promised I am posting the cake I made for Course 2's last class.  We decorated our cakes in class.  We all had a great time.

My cake is classic white cake pineapple flavored, using crushed pineapple.  It is filled with pineapple preserves, brushed with pine coloda mix and frosting with coconut butter cream.  The decorations are made from royal icing, fondant and gum paste.

The roses are made from royal icing, the butterflies are made from fondant and the mini flowers around the edge are made from fondant and gun paste mix.  Everything is edible.  The frosting and green trim are coconut butter cream.


Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Kitchen.  You are always welcome, stop by any time.


Love, hugs and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Cupcakes for Bake Sale Fundraiser

Hi Everyone,

Here are the pictures of the cupcakes I made for the Bale Sale Fundraiser at our church.  The proceeds went to one of missionaries.

These Pink and Yellow cupcake are my Hawaiian Delight Cupcakes.

These cupcakes are my Reese Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

My Hawaiian Delight cupcakes are made with a Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix.  I substitute 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple and 3/4 cup of Pina Coloda mix for the water.  After I bake them I hollow out a small part in the center of the cupcake and add a teaspoon of pineapple preserves.  I then frost each cupcake with coconut flavored butter cream frosting, some pink and some yellow.  I then decorated with pink and yellow fondant/gum paste flowers.

For my Reese Peanut Butter cupcakes I use a dark chocolate Duncan Hines cake mix.  I substitute 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter and 3/4 cup of water instead of a full cup of water. I insert a mini Reese Peanut Butter in the center before baking.  After baking I frost with homemade peanut butter butter cream frosting, drizzle with chocolate guanache, then top with a 1/4 piece of a mini Reese Peanut Butter cup.

Give them a try and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  You are always welcome here at Nana's Kitchen.  Stop by any time.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

Promised Recipes

Hie Everyone,

Here are the recipes that I promised to post.

WARNING: THIS RECIPE IS SO GOOD YOU WILL WANT TO EAT IT RIGHT OUT OF THE BLOW.

Peanut Butter Butter Cream Frosting

1 c. of softened butter
1 c. of peanut butter
1 T. of vanilla
7 - 10 T. of water
2 lbs. of powdered sugar

Beat together butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and water.  Add sugar.  You may have to add more to make it workable.  I will be piping mine on to cupcakes.  ENJOY!!!

This is a recipe I got from my Wilton Cake Decorating instructor.  I added more water than she told me.  It was a little to stiff, so that is why I added more.


Coconut Butter Cream
The basic recipe is a Wilton recipe.  I only changed the added teaspoon of coconut flavoring.

1 c. of white vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon of coconut flavoring
7-8 t. of water
1 lb. of powdered sugar
1 T. of meringue powder
1 pinch of salt (option)

Cream shortening, flavoring, and water.  Add sugar and meringue powder.  You may need to add more water depending on the consistency you want your frosting to be.  In place of one of the teaspoons of water I add more of the coconut flavoring.

To see the Potato Basil Puree google Ina Garten.  That is how I found her recipe after watching her on the foodnetwork.

Well enjoy the recipes..  Thanks for stopping by and visiting me here in Nana's Ktichen.  Stop by any time, you are always welcome.

Love, hugs, and God bless you,
Janet (Kristy, Abby, Dulcie and Ngan's Nana)

PS I will post pics of my cupcakes and my class cake.