With Sprinkles on Top

Mmmm. Mmmmmmmmm. Is there anything better than cinnamon + sugar + chocolate + cake? I didn’t think so. This recipe is pretty easy – and makes a big 9×13 cake!

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake
Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen
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1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. Mix last 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.
3.  In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.
4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

A family friend gave me some homemade strawberry jam (thanks again, Carol!) and I just had to make cupcakes with it! I found this recipe online and I think it’s fantastic. The strawberry cupcakes filled with jam contrast nicely with the cream cheese frosting. Mmm.

Strawberry Jam Cupcakes
Recipe source: Willow Bird Baking
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1.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
fresh strawberry jam for filling

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 12 paper muffin cup liners into muffin cups.
2. Spoon 1.5 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Measure 1 tablespoon flour; level with a knife. Sift together 1.5 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine melted butter and egg in another large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk, milk, and vanilla to butter mixture; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Toss chopped strawberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Fold berries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of the cupcake part comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. When cool, core a hole out of the middle of each cupcake. Spoon in fresh strawberry jam (I use a pastry bag for this.. it’s easier!)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
16oz  cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Frost completely cool cupcakes, using a pastry bag if available.

Mmmm…these are TASTY!!

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
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3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, combine butter and peanut butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until just combined. Stir in flour mixture and oats just until combined.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown and centers are set. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the hot water and salt. Stir until salt dissolves. Add marshmallow creme, shortening, and powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined.
4. Spread marshmallow mixture on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top each frosted cookie with another cookie, flat side down. Makes 13 sandwich cookies. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze unfilled cookies for up to 3 months (thaw cookies, if frozen, and then fill as directed).

These are really simple cupcakes. I used the Pillsbury Halloween box cake mix (with the orange and black funfetti!) for the cupcakes and topped them with vanilla bean buttercream. I tinted the frosting using yellow and orange coloring from AmeriColor.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Recipe source: Mixingbowl.com

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or split a vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and the butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla extract (or seeds) to the butter mixture. Gradually add the 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often. When all the sugar is mixed in, the frosting will appear to be very dry. Add 2 tablespoons milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Halloween has to rank right up there with Christmas for baking possibilities! All of the decorations and ideas are so cute! I saw a photo of swirled vanilla and double chocolate buttercream frosting in a magazine. I paired the frosting to a batch of cupcakes from a box mix & topped with some scary skull-and-crossbone decorations! Here’s the super yummy buttercream recipe I used:

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Recipe source: Mixingbowl.com
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1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or split a vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and the butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla extract (or seeds) to the butter mixture. Gradually add the 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well on medium speed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often. When all the sugar is mixed in, the frosting will appear to be very dry. Add 2 tablespoons milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Double Chocolate Buttercream
Recipe source: Mixingbowl.com

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup unsweetened dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and the butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well mixed. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Frosting Instructions
Make both flavors of frosting; then fill a pastry bag half full with both of them (starting at the tip and going down the sides). Usually there’s a little more of one flavor at the bottom, so pipe that out. Then simply swirl on the top of the cupcakes (imagine those soft-serve ice cream machines that have chocolate and vanilla).