I♥cuppycakes!

For my birthday boy.

Today is my hubby’s birthday.

He’s 32 years old. That means I’ve celebrated 12 birthdays with him. Man we’re getting old!

Every year I’ll ask him what kind of cake he wants.

And EVERY year like clockwork its… R-E-D-V-E-L-V-E-T.

The man is so predictable. (So help me. I love this man.)

So this year I gave him what he wanted with a little something extra.

In case you were wondering…. Yes. It’s as delicious as it looks.

I also wanna wish HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend Stephanie’s husband too. How cool is it to have birthday twin husbands?

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcake Bites
Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan via Serious Eats & A Tiny Kitchen via Steamy Kitchen

Print this recipe

Makes about 150 bites*

INGREDIENTS

red velvet cake mix, baked & cooled as directed on box for 9×13 cake (I used Duncan Hines)
graham cracker crumbs
2 package of chocolate candy melts** (I used Wilton)
2 package of vanilla candy melts** (I used Wilton)
3/4 can of cream cheese frosting (I used Duncan Hines)

* If you don’t need 150 bites you can just quarter the 9×13 cake, wrap unused quarters in plastic wrap and freeze for another time. Just remember to adjust the amount of frosting accordingly depending on how much of the cake you do use. Each quarter is approximately 36-38 bites for this recipe.

** You probably won’t use all the candy melts but I like to melt more than less. But don’t worry! It won’t go to waste. After it cools, you can save it and melt it for another time.

For cheesecake***
Four 8-ounce boxes cream cheese, at room temperature (I used Neufchatel instead)
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combo of the two**** (I used all heavy cream)

*** This is my absolute FAVORITE cheesecake recipe but if you want to make this recipe easier, you can use a no-bake cheesecake mix or buy one already baked from your local grocery store/bakery instead.
**** I’ve tried all sour cream, all heavy cream and a combo of both and I can’t pick a favorite. They are all good. So use whatever you have in the frig. Personally when I use Neufchatel it tends to be more dry so I like to use all heavy cream.

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cheesecake—
Grease a 9″ x 2-3/4″ spring form pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Put the spring form on a roasting pan. Set aside.

Boil some water. You will use this for the water bath later.

In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl), beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft, about 4 minutes. While the mixer is still running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.

Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. This will give you a well aerated batter.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream. Pour batter into the spring form. Put the spring form and roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the spring form. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the top is slightly browned and maybe cracked. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake sit in its water bath for another hour. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and let come to room temperature. When it is cool, cover the cheesecake in saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).

To assemble cupcake pops—
Crumble the baked and cooled cake with your hands (or food processor) into a large bowl and add cream cheese frosting.

Form the cake mixture into 1/2″ diameter balls. Or if you are OCD like me, weigh each cupcake ball at about 0.2 ounces. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes until firm. (If you are short on time, you can put in the freezer.)

When the red velvet balls are firm, scoop out about 1 tsp of cheesecake and mold it around the red velvet ball. (Be prepared for messy, sticky, gooey hands! I think I rinsed my hands after every.single.cupcake.ball. No joke!) Roll each ball in some graham cracker crumbs until it coats the whole ball. Return to the refrigerator and chill until firm while you prepare the candy melts.

Fill a disposable piping bag about 1/2 way with chocolate candy melts. Don’t seal so that warm air can escape and nothing explodes. Melt in 20 sec intervals until chocolate melts. Snip a small hole at the bottom of the piping bag with scissors and fill the peanut butter candy mold about 1/2 way.

Grab your cupcake balls out of the refrigerator and slowly push them into the chocolate candy melt so that the chocolate goes up the sides of the mold. This may take some trial-and-error to get it right but be patient and you’ll get it after a few practice runs. Chill the peanut butter molds in the refrigerator for a few minutes so that the chocolate can harden. To remove them from the mold gently squeeze the bottom of the mold until each cupcake bite pops out.

In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt the vanilla candy melt in the microwave on 20 sec intervals. Slowly dip your cupcake bite into the candy melt to the edge of the chocolate candy melt. Swirl it around a few times so that the top 1/2 is evenly covered. If your candy melt gets too thick to dip, pop it back into the microwave for 10secs.

Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and/or sprinkles.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
Initially when I told him what was inside the cupcake bite, I think he was in shock about combining his 2 favorite desserts together. Even though I didn’t actually get any words, if his facial expression was any indication… I think he loved it.

Wifey rating: A+
Oh so sinful but oh so worth it.

Other rating: A+
I made the cupcake bites for his students and fellow teachers to celebrate his birthday with him and he said everyone raved. Many were upset they couldn’t have more than 1. I think that means they were a success!

I kinda love this and needed to share it with you.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you’ll know I was in Boston this past President’s Day weekend visiting my bff. We laughed, we cried, we baked (I’ll share what in the next blog post), we shopped (oh boy did we shop!), we ate, we talked, we watched movies, we shivered in the snow and wind (Ok maybe *I* was the only one shivering), we crammed as much as we could into 4 days. Now that I’m home, I’m beyond pooped!

But I just had to share one thing with my cupcake minions* before I succumb to jet lag and let my pillow console me.

At first I thought it was a simple little ol seen it before ceramic cupcake box** but I literally giggled from delight when I lifted up the top. Seriously. Like a kid in a candy cupcake store.

I knew I had to have it.

Wouldn’t you?

* I watched Despicable Me with my bestie and now I feel I need to add “minion” to my vocabulary. haha
** Vanilla Cupcake Measuring Cup set via Urban Outfitters. I haven’t seen it at my local Urban Outfitters here in CA and it doesn’t seem available online anymore which is why it was probably on sale for me at the Boston store. Sad for you but kinda awesome for me. But if I do find another, you better believe I’ll have to buy it. Can you say giveaway? *fist pump*

Happy Year of the Rabbit

Chúc mừng Năm mới –> Translation: Happy New Year!

Now don’t get me wrong. I love January 1st New Year with champagne, dropping crystal ball, Times Square, Dick Clark, Tournament of Roses parade etc… but I adore eating my mommy’s yummy home cooked Vietnamese food and the little red envelopes filled with lucky money just a teeny tiny bit more.

Ah memories… One year I ate so many eggrolls that I didn’t eat for 2 days! But it was so worth it. My mom’s eggrolls are so friggin’ tasty!

I would have come baring rabbit inspired cupcakes for ya’ll but my sore throat still isn’t up for… ahem… quality control. But here are some of my favorite rabbit cupcakes from blog’s past. Which one is your favorite?

If you’d like to see how I made these radical rabbits, click (here). Hmmm… do people still say “radical” these days? Does it make me sound old to even have to ask that question? On second thought. Don’t answer that. I’m afraid of the answer.

Happy Vietnamese New Year cupcake monsters.

Hope your 2011 is filled with carrot tops, wealth, health and happiness.