Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes | Jamie's Recipes

How was your weekend? I have to say I had one of the best weekends. Friday night I hosted a small dinner party where I made (deconstructed) paella, tapas, and a build your own sundae bar for dessert –will post about the dinner party soon. On Saturday night we grilled pizzas and the neighbors popped over to share dinner and stories –will post about the grilled pizzas soon too. Then on Sunday my darling Penelope had her very first dance recital which was so adorable. Delicious food, visiting with wonderful friends and family, beautiful weather, a lovely thunderstorm, and watching my daughter on the stage for the first time was so joyous. I am blessed, no question.

So to continue on the joyous high from the weekend I thought the perfect recipe to share would include sprinkles. Sprinkles = happiness, don’t they? If not they should. Funfetti cupcakes have been a birthday favorite since I was little. The spring seems to be a popular baby shower/bridal shower season and funfetti cupcakes would be the perfect addition on the dessert table.

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes | Jamie's Recipes

The best part of making homemade funfetti cupcakes is that you can pick the color of your sprinkles. I went with a multicolor sprinkle since I wasn’t making these for any particular event. Baby gender reveal parties seem to be a thing –what about using all pink or all blue sprinkles in these cupcakes? For bridal showers you could use the bride’s wedding colors. Use school colors for graduation cupcakes. With the endless sprinkle colors you could make funfetti cupcakes for every event and have coordinating sprinkles.

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes | Jamie's Recipes

HOMEMADE FUNFETTI CUPCAKES
12 cupcakes (24 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rainbow jimmies

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
2.  In large bowl mix together flours, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
3.  Whisk together buttermilk and egg whites. Set aside.
4.  In mixing bowl beat sugar and butter together. Until well combined. Mix in vanilla.
5.  Alternate adding 1/3 of flour mixture and 1/2 of buttermilk mixture to mixing bowl, beating until just incorporated in between (begin and end with flour mixture). Beat for 1 more minute.
6.  Fold in sprinkles.
7.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

SWISS BUTTERCREAM
Ingredients
5 teaspoons meringue powder
5 tablespoons water
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (I know it sounds like a crazy amount)
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1.  Add the meringue powder and water to your mixing bowl. Then using your whisk attachment for your mixer whisk the heck out of them on medium high speed for 8-10 minutes or until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
2.  Bump the speed down to medium and start adding the butter 2 T at a time making sure each addition is incorporated before adding any more. At this point your mixture may start to look soupy and/or curdled. Don’t be alarmed just bump the speed up to medium high and keep on mixing until it smooths out (maybe 5 minutes).
3.  Once all the butter is incorporated bump the speed down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Be careful as the powdered sugar may fly up in a dust all over your kitchen. Once the sugar is stirred in increase the speed to medium high and mix everything together. Slowly add the vanilla and mix for another minute or two.
4.  At this point you can add any food coloring to the frosting if desired.
5.  Use your frosting immediately or put into an air tight container and refrigerate (up to 3 days). When you’re ready to use it bring it to room temperature and whip it using your mixer.

I used the 1M tip from Wilton to frost my cupcakes. For extra fun sprinkle with some more rainbow jimmies.

What is your favorite cake/cupcake?

 

Posted in Desserts | Tagged as: , , , | 1 Comment

Friday Favorites

TGIF! I love weekends. I especially love weekends that can be spent outside in the warm sunshine. If has been another busy week. Sasha has only one week of school left, YAY! This weekend Penelope has her very first dance recital, it will be fun to see her dancing up on the stage.

Here is a short round up of Friday’s Favorites. Have a great and safe weekend everyone! xo

1. Unique Homes This converted clock tower is amazing. I love the idea of living in buildings that weren’t intended for a family home. Click on the link to see more amazing pictures of this home.

clocktower

 

2. Horseshoe Pit Contemplating putting in one horseshoe pit in our backyard.

Horseshoe_Pit_layout

3. Giant Flowers Aren’t these allium gladiator flowers awesome?

Allium Gladiator

4.  Painted Table Cloth How clever! Check out Oh Happy Day for other fun projects! I love this site!

Painted-Floral-Tablecloth21

 

 

5. Sichuan Wontons I have been on an Asian foods kick lately and these wontons sound ridiculously good.

Sichuan Wontons

 

Have a great weekend!

Posted in Friday Favorites | 1 Comment

Strawberry Fields (Forever)

It has been so gorgeous out lately. Here in Eastern Nebraska we have hit triple digits already. There may have been snow on May 1 but that is a distant memory. The farmers markets have two weekends under their belts. Warmer weather always has me wanting to eat light and fresh.

Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette | Jamie's Recipes

Grilled meat on a salad is a big summer favorite of mine. Strawberries in a salad with tangy feta or goat cheese is another favorite. When I was sitting in the airport in Atlanta recently we ate at TGI Friday’s. On the menu was a Strawberry Fields salad. It had strawberries, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, pecans, I added chicken to mine, and it was swimming (swimming) in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was very tasty however, I couldn’t wait to come home and make my own salad with a lot less vinaigrette.

Well things have been a little busy since I’ve been home so I didn’t think about that salad until I got asked about low fat/fat free salad dressing options. If you have better insight about these type of dressing options please chip in in the comments section. Personally, I think fat free salad dressing tastes like a bunch of chemicals. It is HORRIBLE! My recommendation was to make a vinaigrette. This way you can control the type and amount of oil you’re adding on your salad. There are tons of different vinegars and oils available even places like Walmart are starting to carry a greater variety. Pick an oil, then a vinegar, added chopped fresh herbs or dried herbs, minced garlic, shallots, or onion… seriously the flavor combinations are endless!

Because of that question I was inspired to make my own vinaigrette and I happened to have a leftover grilled chicken breast, strawberries, and goat cheese in the fridge. How about that? This salad was meant to be. Kasper (age 21 months) and Penelope (age 5) both loved it, in fact, they both had a second helping!

Since homemade vinaigrettes don’t have preservatives in them you will want to make them in small quantities. This way you can be constantly experimenting with new oils/vinegars/herbs. This vinaigrette makes about 6 -2 tablespoon servings. Perfect for a dinner party. Keeping to that 2 tablespoon serving size means your salad won’t be swimming in dressing and you will actually be able to taste everything! This dressing is brown and not very beautiful, but it makes up for it with it tangy punch. Plus get this there is only 70 calories per serving! Low calorie and good tasting!

Balsamic Vinaigrette | Jamie's Recipes

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Serves: 6 – 2 tablespoon per serving
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave mustard
1/2 cup walnut oil
pinch salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients into a jar with a lid
2. Shake, shake, shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds to emulsify everything

The vinaigrette should coat the sides of the jar when it is ready to use. Store in the fridge for up to one week. If it separates give it a shake.

Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette | Jamie's Recipes

STRAWBERRY SALAD
Ingredients
3-4 cups Spring Mix Lettuce
1/2 Grilled Chicken Breast
1 Tablespoon crumbled Feta
1 Tablespoon Shaved Parmesan cheese
4-5  Strawberries, sliced
2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds, or Roasted Pecans
2 Tablespoons fresh balsamic vinaigrette

Directions
1. layer salad ingredients together and top with vinaigrette

 

Do you make your own dressings? Please share your favorites in the comments. 

Posted in Gluten Free, Salads | Tagged as: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chocolate Cherry Scones

Chocolate Cherry Scones | Jamie's Recipes

Mornings at our house are kind of crazy. I am sure this is not unique to just my family. Trying to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door on time is a Herculean feat some days. Having on the go breakfasts foods prepared help save the day. Penelope, my 5 year old, mixed these up herself, she especially loved rubbing the butter into the flour to make it “sand-like”. She is my little scone lover. She asks for one every time we drive past a coffee shop. I didn’t know what a scone was until I was in my twenties.

In these scones I used mini chocolate chips and dried sweet cherries. If you haven’t tried the dried cherries I recommend picking some up next time you spy them. The cherry flavor is concentrated and I think they blow dried cranberries out of the water. Actually, I was afraid I wasn’t going to have enough for this recipe since my family kept snitching them. ;)

Chocolate Cherry Scones | Jamie's RecipesThe mini chocolate chips provided just the right amount of chocolate with out being overly sweet or overpowering. Who doesn’t love a little chocolate with breakfast? They mix up quickly and only take about 15-18 minutes to bake. If you don’t have a ton of extra time on your hands in the morning to mix and bake, you could mix them up the night before and pop them in the refrigerator until morning. That way all you have to do is bake them –they will take slightly longer to bake coming straight out of the fridge (23-25 minutes). Using this method the scones would bake while you are getting ready and by the time you are ready to walk out the door you can grab a fresh hot scone.

Chocolate Cherry Scones | Jamie's Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SCONES

Ingredients 
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons chilled butter, diced
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped dried cherries
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coarse sugar (optional)

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease baking sheet.
2.  In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3.  Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts. Set aside.
4.  Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingers rub in the butter until the flour becomes sand like.
5.  Mix in chocolate chips and cherries
6.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients. Stirring with a fork until combined.
7.  Form dough into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
8.  Press dough ball in a circle shape 3/4 inch thick.
9. Cut into 8 triangle shaped pieces
10. Place on prepared baking sheet. 1 inch apart.
11. Lightly brush milk over the tops of the scones.
12. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
13. Bake for 15-18 minutes (23-25 minutes if refrigerated) . Or until the scones are golden brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Posted in Breads, Breakfasts | Tagged as: , , , , , | 2 Comments
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