OK! Many people wrote me they are in search of Easy Cupcake Recipes and many came straight to tongue n cheeky in search of it from the reference of Sarah’s old site on cupcakes. After discussing with Sarah I made this post on best of her 5 Cupcake recipes as sticky post so that the visitor need not be turned into desperation.

1)Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

I can’t even describe the deliciousness that are these cupcakes. I’ve made two different pumpkin cheesecakes before, and neither of them even come close to these minis. I’m pretty sure the perfect plain cheesecake infused with pumpkin and spice swirls that explode in your mouth, breaking up the delicious creaminess, is the way too go. Ok, I’m getting way too descriptive here, but I’m super enthusiastic about fall and pumpkin! I don’t have to convince anyone to make these because I know cheesecake, pumpkin, and cupcake alone are enough to make people flock. From now on, I’m going to make these for every fall get together and holiday. They’re definitely a new staple.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes
yield: 12 mini cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
7 graham cracker sheets (or equivalent in gingersnaps)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

For the pumpkin swirl:
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners (double them up if using paper liners).

To make the crust: in a food processor, grind up the graham cracker sheets into fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, and stir in the ground cinnamon and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

Put about one tablespoon of the graham cracker crumb mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Press down the crumbs with your hand. Set aside.

To make the cheesecake: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine, too) mix the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. The cream cheese should be smooth without any lumps. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl and fully incorporate the ingredients. Add the sour cream and beat until the cheesecake mixture is smooth.

To make the pumpkin swirl: in a medium bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground allspice, and flour. Add 2/3 cup of the cheesecake mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Stir with a spatula until the two batters are completely combined and there are no lumps.

Divide half the plain cheesecake batter evenly between the muffins tins. Scoop about one tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture on top and cover with the remaining cheesecake batter. Each cupcake liner should be filled almost to the top. Place three 1/4 teaspoon dots of pumpkin batter onto each of the cheesecakes. Use a toothpick or knife to swirl the batter into a pretty design.

Bake for 27-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the baking time. Once the cheesecakes are done baking, cool them completely in the refrigerator overnight (keep them in the cupcake baking pan). Enjoy!

2)Apple Streusel Cheesecake Cupcakes

The wait for these cheesecakes to cool completely in the fridge might have just been the longest wait ever with the exception of labor and delivery! These start off with a graham cracker crust, then a thick layer of cheesecake, and on top of that, cinnamon apples and streusel. After the pumpkin swirl cheesecake cupcakes were so popular on here – and with everyone that tried them – I had to make another cheesecake cupcake. The base cupcake recipe in itself is to-die-for. Now that I’ve made these, I’m pretty obsessed with them!

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Cupcakes
yield: 14 mini cheesecakes

INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
7 graham cracker sheets (or equivalent in gingersnaps)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

For the apple topping:
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced small
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 24-cup muffin pan with 14 cupcake liners (double them up if using paper liners).

To make the crust: in a food processor, grind up the graham cracker sheets into fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, and stir in the ground cinnamon and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

Put about one tablespoon of the graham cracker crumb mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Press down the crumbs with your hand. Set aside.

To make the cheesecake: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine, too) mix the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. The cream cheese should be smooth without any lumps. Add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated. Use a spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl and fully incorporate the ingredients. Add the sour cream and beat until the cheesecake mixture is smooth. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full with the cheesecake mixture.

Make the apple topping by mixing all ingredients together until combined. Evenly top the cupcakes with the apple filling, pressing down slightly to adhere the apples into the cheesecake mixture.

In a separate bowl make the streusal topping by mixing together all ingredients until combined. Generously top each cupcake with streusal. Pile it high, these cupcakes barely rise so don’t be skimpy.

Bake for 27-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the baking time. Once the cheesecakes are done baking, cool them completely in the refrigerator overnight (keep them in the cupcake baking pan). Enjoy!

3)Maple Bacon Cupcakes

I knew that these cupcakes were going to be a smash the second I baked them up and frosted them. The bacon craze still seems like it’s going strong, and I definitely like the idea of bacon in all baked goods. When I got a request for a cupcake containing bacon, I was thrilled to try out the idea. I couldn’t find anything on the internet that was exactly what I was looking for, so I combined a few elements of other bacon cupcakes to make these. I chose a buttermilk cake with a hint of maple syrup for the base of the cupcake. I don’t like using maple extract and I didn’t want too much maple syrup in the cupcake, so it was a challenge to get the right ratio of maple syrup to sugar, but in the end I think I found the perfect formula.

The frosting is where things got a little tricky. I wanted a bacon buttercream with a hint of maple that didn’t contain bacon chunks. That was where I had to get creative since I didn’t see anything on the internet like that. I finally decided to cook up and crumble a few slices of bacon, and then steep that into milk to create a bacon milk (you can infuse flavors like vanilla bean into milk, so why not bacon?). I turned that into a sweet buttercream with a hint of maple syrup.

The groom (these cupcakes were for a Memorial Day post-wedding celebration) really loved chocolate covered bacon, but I opted in the end to make a candied bacon garnish to do something a little different. I found that having that little extra bite on top made all the difference in these. It’s always little touches like that that can make food feel extra special. Don’t leave it out! Seriously, altogether a stellar cupcake I would make again in a second!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Yield: 36 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the maple buttermilk cupcakes:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp (2 1/4 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 cup packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
3/4 cup grade B maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk

For the bacon buttercream:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups bacon-infused milk (see note at bottom), divided
5 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the candied bacon garnish:
12 slices thick-cut bacon
1 cup light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Begin by making the maple buttermilk cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until the mixture is combined and homogeneous.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the bacon buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add the maple syrup and beat to combine. Set aside.

Add 1/2 cup bacon-milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. The mixture should turn into a thick paste. Stream in another 1/2 cup of the bacon-milk and whisk to combine. The mixture should begin to thicken almost immediately. Slowly whisk in the remaining bacon-milk and cook until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If there are any lumps at this point you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.

Pour the cooled bacon-milk mixture into the stand mixer and beat on low speed to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and crank the mixture to medium-high. Let whip away until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes.

To make the candied bacon garnish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay a rack over a rimmed baking sheet covered in foil and lay out the bacon slices side by side. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the brown sugar over the bacon slices and press it in. Bake the bacon until the brown sugar melts and bubbles, about 10 minutes.

Remove the bacon and let cool for 5 minutes. Flip the bacon slices over and sprinkle/press in the remaining sugar. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling. Let cool completely.

To assemble: Frost each cooled cupcake with bacon buttercream and garnish with a piece of cooled candied bacon. Enjoy!

Note: To make bacon-infused milk, cook off 6 slices of thick-cut bacon in a pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and crumble/cut into small pieces. Add the bacon crumbles to a saucepan with 1 3/4 cups milk over medium heat. Cook just until the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let steep, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain out the bacon, discard, and refrigerate the bacon-milk until you’re ready to use it.

4)Apple Pie Cupcakes

I’ve been wanting to make these cupcakes forever. I saw them on Annie’s Eats a year ago, and I was infatuated with them. They look so darn cute and the flavor of apple pie in a cupcake sounded like it would be amazing. I’ve baked a lot of desserts since then, and I decided that I love the concept, but (and I’m sure the original was absolutely delicious) I wanted to make it even more like a real apple pie. I used the same vanilla cake base, except I used browned butter in place of regular butter, replaced some of the sugar with brown sugar, and added a hint of cinnamon. I also used a tweaked version of pie crumb frosting from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook in place of a vanilla buttercream. Altogether this is one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had! There’s no explaining how delicious the pie crumb frosting is with the apple pie filling and browned butter cupcake base. I really hope you try out this cupcake, you’re not going to be disappointed!!

This cupcake recipe requires that you brown butter. I learned from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook that you can actually brown butter in the microwave. The first time I tried it out I ended up with melted butter all over the microwave. I was determined to make it work so I found a tighter fitting plate to put on top, and my butter not only stayed in the cup but came out perfectly browned.

To brown butter in the microwave: put your butter into a large pyrex bowl or measuring cup covered tightly with a plate, and microwave it for 3-5 minutes or until the butter turns a deep brown color. If the butter foams up too much you can stop the microwave, stir, and put it back in. Be careful as the plate and bowl/measuring cup get extremely hot! Cool it to a solid room temp state for this recipe.

Apple Pie Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the browned butter cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp browned butter
3 tbsp salted butter, at room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

For the apple pie filling:
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
2-4 tbsp apple juice or cider

For the pie crumb frosting:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) salted butter, melted
1 1/2 tbsp water
6 tbsp salted butter, at room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
To make the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a large bowl sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the brown butter, butter, sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until completely incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Turn the mixer to low and beat in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, in three separate additions, starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated.

Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake tins. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the apple pie filling: combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and diced apples in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the butter and sugar are melted. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the apple juice or cider if the mixture looks too dry.

To make the pie crumb frosting: preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour and sugar. Beat to combine. With the mixer on low slowly stream in the melted butter and water. Stop the mixer when the mixture begins to form small clumps of dough, it should be slightly sandy. Dump the mixture out onto the baking sheet and spread the clumps in an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring the mixture to break up any clumps occasionally. Cool completely before proceeding.

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the room temperature butter and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy.

In a blender combine the cooled pie crumbs and milk. Blend to a paste. Add this to the stand mixer and beat to combine, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

To assemble: use a knife to cut a cone shaped piece out of the top of each cupcake. Fill the holes with the apple pie filling. Make sure the filling is cool so it won’t melt the frosting. Top with pie crumb frosting.

5)Snickers Cupcakes

I’m shocked that it took me so long to post this cupcake recipe. Two or three years ago when I was trying out new cupcake recipes from scratch like crazy, these were one of the most decadent and delicious recipes I tried. I snapped a few horrible pictures of them with the worst camera and lighting imaginable. I never got around to making them again, probably because just the memory of them caused me to gain two pounds! But, I always thought about how delicious they were and how if I had the occasion I’d get back to re-trying them. Luckily last week, I had that opportunity. I made them exactly as before, without changing a thing. The chocolate cupcake base is one that I’ve used multiple times in multiple recipes, and is always my go-to chocolate cupcake. The centers are filled with homemade caramel dredged Snickers pieces, and the top is frosted with a caramel buttercream, more Snickers, and more homemade caramel. These are to die for decadent, and they will not disappoint anyone!

Snickers Cupcakes
Yield: 20 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate cupcakes:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
16 tbl (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream, at room temp

For the caramel filling:
8 tbl salted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 regular sized Snickers, cut into pieces

For the caramel buttercream:
16 tbl (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temp
1 lb powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel sauce (recipe above)
1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temp

DIRECTIONS
First, make the chocolate cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the caramel filling: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to foam a bit. It will look and smell like it’s on the verge of burning, and it will turn a caramel color. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the heavy cream. Stir until the sauce is smooth (you may need to return it to the heat to smooth it out), then mix in the vanilla. Let cool.

Reserve enough Snickers pieces to garnish the cupcakes. Mix the remaining amount with 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce. This will be the filling. Set aside while you make the buttercream.

To make the caramel buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time on low speed, and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and caramel sauce and beat to combine. Slowly stream in the heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy.

To assemble: cut a small cone out of the center of each cupcake and reserve for another use (i.e. cake pops). Fill each hole with the caramel-snickers filling. Use a pastry bag to pipe a mound of caramel buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with reserved Snickers pieces. Put the leftover caramel sauce is a small zip-loc bag and snip the tip. Drizzle each cupcake with caramel sauce.

Source – Sarah said these recipes inspired, slightly adopted from annie’s eats, Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz, and My Baking Addiction.

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As any of you with toddlers know, they are picky eaters. Not only do they get into serious food jags, they confuse everyone with their love of a certain food – green beans! carrots! spinach! – only to turn their head in disgust to the same food a day later.

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