Iron Cupcake #4: [Summer Berries]
June 22, 2009 at 10:24 PM | Posted in Iron Cupcake, cupcakes | 70 CommentsTags: chocolate, marshmallow cream cheese frosting, martha stewart
Ah Iron Cupcake. How I heart thee.
I’m not sure if you know this about me but I’m kind of a cupcake event freak addict. I know I know. I hide it well. But when I find one I get a little giddy. I think it’s because I find a lot (See Nikki? 2 words!) of inspiration from themes that someone else chose for me. Don’t ask me why but ideas seem to flow more freely after I have the theme figured out. I know. I’m wackadoo.
This month’s theme is summer berries and here in California the sweet strawberry goodness is abundant. I’m buying strawberries by the case every week from Costco. You can often find Hubs hulling strawberries by the bowlful for an after dinner treat. He even offered to help hull the strawberries for this recipe without me even asking. It’s pretty darn cute how much he loves his Oxo strawberry huller. So I knew as soon as I saw the theme I would be using strawberries.
But finding the right time to bake seems harder in the summer for a couple reasons:
(1) I become a lazy baker in the summer
(2) It’s harder to find ppl to give away my goodies during bikini/diet season.
Thankfully Father’s Day gave me a perfect opportunity to bake. *fist pump*
Now I know what you’re thinking… What’s up with the pirate theme, CB? *shrug* What can I say? I’m a sucker for cornball names and themes. And flowers and ladybugs didn’t seem very manly for a Father’s Day cupcake. Arrrgh matey? (That’s pirate talk for “Ok friend?”.) No more questions or you’ll be walking the plank.
Happy (belated) Father’s day to all the dads out there.
Thanks to IC’s sponsors this month–
*A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
*A groovy linocut piece from BLOCKHEAD PRESS http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6108705
*A sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
*A sweet artist piece CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382
*HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com
*HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com
*JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com
*TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com
*A t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/
* 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com
Straw-Berried Treasure Cupcakes <– Get it? I crack myself up!
Recipe adapted from Cupcakes by Martha Stewart & 4 Ingredient Cookbook
Makes about 18 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
For one-bowl chocolate cupcakes
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder (I used E. Guittard unsweetened red dutch process cocoa)
1-1/2 sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm water
18 strawberries, wash, pat dry and tops removed
For marshmallow cream cheese frosting
2 jars (7oz each) marshmallow creme
2-8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)
brown sugar, garnish
To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking power and salt. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and water.
Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting—
In a stand mixer, fitted with a flat beater, combine marshmallow creme and cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.
To assemble cupcakes—
Remove the center of the cupcake using the cone method. (I used a 1.5″ cookie cutter as a guideline.) Insert strawberry into the cupcake. Using a Magic Tip 7ST tip (or your favorite star tip) pipe the frosting on the cupcake. Garnish with some brown sugar on top. (Don’t skip the brown sugar. Trust me.)
ENJOY!
Husband rating: A+
I always know when he likes a cupcake recipe when he eats more than 1 without me asking if he wants another one. He’s a cream cheese frosting purist but said that the marshmallow creme added a yummy combination.
Wifey rating: A+
This chocolate “cake” was so easy and fast to make. That Martha is a genius! Definitely bumped my current go-to recipe off the list. I love the chocolate, strawberry and marshmallow+cream cheese frosting combination. The sprinkle of brown sugar on top made for a perfect sweet crunchy bite!
Other rating: A+
I brought the cupcakes over for a family Father’s day party and T’s dad raved that this was the best cupcake I’ve baked so far! (And trust me. He’s eaten ALOT of my cupcakes!)
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From one cupcake event freak to another, I gotta tell you these are berry berry cute! Martha’s 1 bowl couldn’t possibly get any better than with strawberries and marshmallow cream cheese frosting – yum!
Comment by Little Miss Cupcake — June 22, 2009 #
Giggling @ “berry berry cute”.
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
I love the idea! Chocolate and strawberries together is a great combo!
Comment by Tracey — June 22, 2009 #
One of my favorite combos for sure!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
I love the “inside” view ! Great idea to put the whole strawberry in the cupcake, I must try this ! And I agree that Martha Stewart is a genius, I recently tried her Devil’s food cupcakes recipes and it was a hit !
Comment by Maybe — June 23, 2009 #
Glad to hear that MS’s devil’s food cupcake is a winner. I definitely need to try that one.
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
What a fantastic idea CB, I love the look of the whole cupcake! I also love the name too, you’re so funneh!
Comment by apparentlyjessy — June 23, 2009 #
Thank you. Thank you. *bowing* I’ll be here all night ;)
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
These look great! I’m not sure if I am entering this month’s challenge…I think I have only 1 day left!!
Comment by Shelly — June 23, 2009 #
Nothing like getting it done under the wire! That’s usually how I roll. Only reason I have it done early was Father’s Day. haha. Hope you made it before the deadline!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
Arrrr they look good! I just made blueberry muffins with a strawberry shoved in like that… except I did it before baking so it turned into a jam center :D
Comment by stephchows — June 23, 2009 #
Nothing wrong with a jam center IMO :P
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
These look so yummy. I’m going to have to give them a try this weekend since I am in desparate need of strawberries now.
Comment by Katrina — June 23, 2009 #
Please do! and come back and let me know what you think, k?
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
Those are AWESOME!!! i may borrow that recipe! LOOKS YUMMY and i love making cupcakes!
Comment by Tina — June 23, 2009 #
I hope you do! I’d love to hear what you think if you make it. :)
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
You crack me up too! You are beyond creative! Love these cupcakes…see I do love cupcakes:)
Comment by Maria — June 23, 2009 #
I guessss we can still be friends… HA HA
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
That’s adorable! What an awesome idea.
Comment by anna — June 23, 2009 #
Thank you A!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
Your cupcakes are always so cute… I might just have to test these out on my family sometime! I love the hidden strawberry idea!
Comment by Indigo — June 23, 2009 #
Promise you’ll come back and let me know what you and the family thought, k? :)
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
What a great idea! and I’m very intrigued by this marshmallow cream cheese frosting…
Comment by aubrey — June 23, 2009 #
Girlfriend, don’t think, just make it. If you like marshmallow creme and cream cheese, you’ll love the combination! ;)
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
I love the pirate flags! The decoration makes the cuppies very fun and summery. Good luck!
Comment by April — June 23, 2009 #
What’s not to love about pirates right? :D Thanks for the GL!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
Marshmallow creme cheese frosting? For real!?! That sounds amazing!
Comment by Erin — June 23, 2009 #
Oh tis… tis. You must make it yourself. Trust.
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
YUM!! That frosting sounds delicious…I LOVE MARSHMALLOW CREME!!! I love the name ;o)
Comment by Liesl — June 23, 2009 #
I know the name is all kinds of corny but I’m a corny girl like that. Glad you are too!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
i love pirates!! and cupcakes!!!
Comment by veggievixen — June 23, 2009 #
It’s win-win really! :P
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
Oh those look so good!!!!
Comment by Stacy — June 23, 2009 #
Thank you Stacy!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
as soon as voting opens..you’ve got mine! I just got Miss Martha’s cupcake book, and I’m hoping that the one bowl will become my go-to chocolate..I don’t have one yet..and the hubs is terrible saddened by it!
Comment by Suzy — June 24, 2009 #
Sweet! I heart votes! If you make MS 1-bowl chocolate, I think your hubs will convert. I am still in awe of how simple and yummy the recipe actually is.
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
yummmmmmmay.
could you pretty please tell me how exactly to do the cone method? :))
Comment by jen — June 24, 2009 #
Sure! I use the cookie cutter, press about halfway down and then use a knife to quarter the circle so that it’s easier for me to “dig” the center out with the knife. Hope that helps!
Comment by CB — June 24, 2009 #
seriously girl, you make me want to bake so bad! LOVE IT! I tweeted about you. :)
Comment by Sonda T — June 24, 2009 #
What’s stopping you?! Baking is good for the soul… Thanks for tweeting. What’s your Twitter ID?
Comment by CB — June 25, 2009 #
Neat! A strawberry would be amazing in the middle of a vanilla cupcake! Or maybe a browned butter cupcake! (Just because I don’t like chocolate cake that much.)
Comment by Beth — June 25, 2009 #
… or all the above! Bummer you’re not a chocolate cake fan but I am sure that it would work just as well with vanilla. I’m intrigued by the brown butter. Got a recipe to share?
Comment by CB — June 25, 2009 #
Is it just the way the photo turned out or was your chocolate cake very dark/almost black looking? I want to make a black looking cake! Looks dee-lish to me!
Comment by Judee — June 25, 2009 #
Yeah it was a dark “cake”. I’m not sure if that’s b/c of the red dutch cocoa powder that I used or not. But the picture is true to color. Either way, it was definitely DEE-LISH!
Comment by CB — June 25, 2009 #
I saw this recipe and knew i’d been saving those strawberries in the regrigerator for something! I made a batch shortly after I saw the recipe posted and my family LOVED them! I’m making more right now. Thank you for the great ideas. My husband is deploying and i’m trying to keep very busy (not that I ever have nothing to do- i raise kids and ponies). Thank you for helping me with that!
Comment by my mlb — June 26, 2009 #
So glad you and the family loved the recipe! You raise ponies? Wow. That must be awesome. Would you trade me cupcakes for a pony? No? Ok it was worth a shot. :P
Comment by CB — June 26, 2009 #
I would gladly trade cupcakes for a pony. =-)~ My husband tells me that the only animal you can give away and make money is a horse. LMAO. Seriously tho. These cupcakes were awesome. I shared them with everyone I knew practically and they were a super hit! From my 85 year old grandfather to my niece who’s 2! (and you can look @ the ponies on our website if you want, they’re pretty cute!)
Comment by my mlb — June 29, 2009 #
The cupcakes look great. And I love the header on your blog.
Comment by Angie — June 27, 2009 #
Thanks for your compliments on my cupcakes and header :)
Comment by CB — June 27, 2009 #
aye matey, them cupcakes looks delish! :))
how do you do the cone method?? teach me teach me! :)
Comment by jen — June 27, 2009 #
never mind… my brain must have forgotten that i already commented……… ill walk the plank. :p
Comment by jen — June 27, 2009 #
I am definitely trying this next week! I LOVE strawberries AND marshmallow! CB, I tried your crème brulée cupcakes today and they tasted delicious, only my swiss meringue buttercream separated and didn’t really turn into icing. It still tasted good but looked curdled and yucky. Any idea why?
T
Comment by liltea — June 27, 2009 #
Bummer about the creme brulee! Next time you make it just keep beating. I promise you, even though it curdles, if you keep beating it will magically become a smooth silky frosting. Don’t ask me why. It’s just magic ;)
Comment by CB — June 27, 2009 #
Brilliant idea! Beautiful, clever, and delicious I’m sure!
Comment by Marina — June 28, 2009 #
Thank you! I have to admit it was very delicious. It got lots of kudos from my regular taste testers so I know it was yummy!
Comment by CB — June 28, 2009 #
Sorry I have been MIA, I have been so busy, but it has made me feel so bad not to have time to comment. I love these, they look sooo cool.
Comment by Lorelei Craig — June 28, 2009 #
No worries chicky! Life get’s busy. Trust me. I know!
Comment by CB — June 28, 2009 #
Hihi, been loving your usual chocolate cupcakes. And have been making very frequently since then. It was so easy. And this sounds even better.Look forward to try it this weekend. =) Many thanks.
Comment by Cuen — June 30, 2009 #
Thanks for coming back and leaving great reviews! Def give this 1-bowl chocolate a try. It’s yummy!
Comment by CB — July 4, 2009 #
Ever since I found this site I have developed a secret obsession with cupcakes! The frosting on this cupcake is to die for! I was so amazed at how tasty it was for being so simple and easy! thank you for sharing you love of cupcakes with the rest of us!!
Comment by Darcie — July 2, 2009 #
Ah shucks! It’s nothing. Just doing my part to create more cupcake addicts like me. HA HA! So glad you liked the frosting. I think that’s what I love about it too. Simple and tasty!
Comment by CB — July 4, 2009 #
I made these cupcakes for a 4th of July BBQ and they turned out pretty good. Thanks for the recipe. The only problem I had was that the frosting was a melty mess by the time we got to the party…boo!
I noticed that this marshmallow cream cheese frosting was a little different than the one you made before…the one before has some powdered sugar and some other ingredient…any reason why you did the different recipe this time?
Comment by Melissa — July 5, 2009 #
Bummer about the frosting melting! I’m sure the powder sugar keeps the structure of the frosting more thick but I love the marshmallow+cream cheese as a dip for strawberries so I decided to try to see if it would work as a “frosting” too. Looks like it works but has a limited time only feature. Thanks for letting me know. :)
Comment by CB — July 7, 2009 #
I made these last weekend for a birthday party and gave the extras to my family… they said they were best ones ever besides the creme brulee ones!!! Although we tried making the marshmallow/cream cheese frosting and it didn’t work out all thick and delicious looking like yours, so we just made regular cream cheese frosting instead. I kept the failed frosting as fruit dip. AMAZING!
p.s. eat these fast because i cut one open to take pics and then less than 2 days later was about to eat it but the strawberry already had gone mould.y
Comment by liltea — July 7, 2009 #
So sad about frosting melting! :( I love the marshmallow+cream cheese as a dip for strawberries so I decided to try to see if it would work as a “frosting” too. Looks like you figured that out backwards. :)
Comment by CB — July 7, 2009 #
YAY! Someone else who calls them cuppycakes. :-) I’ve recently developed a cup(py)cake fetish and am very glad to have discovered your blog. These cupcakes look awesome! (cute name too)
Comment by Lennongirl — July 24, 2009 #
Thanks for sweet compliments! Long live the cuppycake! :P
Comment by CB — July 24, 2009 #
I know you posted this ages ago, but they are so fantastic that I had to include them in the first part of our summer cupcake feature on party cupcake ideas. They are awesome.
Comment by Sprinkles — July 18, 2010 #
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