Now that I am a full fledged adult, I don’t eat candy bars all that often, but you can bet when I do indulge, those babies get frozen first. This recipe is a little homage to my frozen candy bar loving dad, Bill; although I like to call him Billiam for kicks.

These cupcakes consist of a moist doctored up cake mix recipe with a little surprise in the center, topped with creamy caramel buttercream and a finished with a little sprinkling of chopped Snickers and a caramel drizzle. Are you drooling yet? This recipe is rich, sweet, decadent and every candy bar lover’s dream!

This is definitely a semi-homemade type of dessert; if you’re opposed to doctored up box mixes, no worries, just sub in your favorite chocolate cake recipe. Personally, I think the cake recipe below is pretty rocking and I use it when I am in a hurry or need an incredibly moist cake. I hope you give this recipe a try because it’s definitely a crowd pleaser! Brian used the word incredible to describe these cupcakes and that is not an adjective he tosses around very often.

In other news, you will find my first vlog posted below. Yep, I busted out the video camera, put on my best campy voice and recorded a video detailing my favorite piping tips, and the super technical {note sarcasm} techniques that I use to frost the cupcakes you see on MBA. I promise when I venture into vlog land again, I will lose a little of the cheesiness, but hey, I was nervous! Enjoy watching; I hope my newly acquired Muppet voice gives you a little chuckle! Does anyone like the sound of their voice…mine sure makes me cringe!

Cupcake Piping How-To from My Baking Addiction on Vimeo.

Since this post is all about cupcakes, I just had to whip up a batch to share with you. After browsing the amazing Sprinkles menu, I knew I wanted to create a chocolate on chocolate cupcake and drew inspiration from Candace’s Milk Chocolate flavor. The description of this selection is a Belgium dark chocolate cupcake with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. How delish does that sound? Although my interpretation of this sweet treat is slightly different, it turned of to be quite delectable.

In case you are not familiar with Sprinkles, here is a little background info. Candace started Sprinkles in Beverly Hills in 2005, her sophisticated take on the classic American cupcake made Sprinkles an overnight bakery sensation. Candace’s business continues to grow with 5 more locations slated to open in the near future. If I have piqued your interest about Sprinkles and you’re drooling at the mere thought of entering a Sprinkles bakery, you can check our their list of locations here.

Candace was such a doll during the phone conference, she gave some participants great advice regarding their own business ventures and answered some great questions about branding, business partnerships and even shared some personal stories.

Curious what I asked Candace? Well here are my questions and her responses directly from the transcripts:
MBA: I’m pretty big on the whole presentation factor on my blog with all baked goods, I’m curious what your inspiration was behind your signature Sprinkles look.
Candace: Oh sure. Basically, decoration in general, presentation has to follow what you’re doing with the actual cupcake itself. So a lot of times on Cupcake Wars, if there was a garnish on top of the cupcake, it’s an indication, or should’ve been an indication as to what was going on with the cupcake flavor inside. At Sprinkles what we did, is we reinvented the cupcake. We modernized it, we made it more sophisticated, more elegant with more beautiful ingredients, and we wanted to do the same thing with the look. So, playing on the traditional with the color of the modern dot; having that element of fun, but then also making it more sophisticated and sleek.

MBA: Obviously you were inspired by cupcakes at some point or another, but I’m curious as to what your very first cupcake memory was as a kid.
Candace: Oh my gosh, you know what, no one’s ever asked me that question before! That’s amazing, that’s such a great question. I have so many pictures of myself as a kid eating cake, but I don’t have that many of me eating cupcakes, and one of the reasons why, is that I grew up overseas when I was very young. And it was until I came back to the States when I was more in grade school that I started eating cupcakes, and those were Hostess cupcakes in my lunch box.

If you are a Food Network junkie like I am, you may recognize Candace from the latest commercial promos because Candace’s latest venture is being a judge on Food Network’s new show, Cupcake Wars. Each week on Cupcake Wars, four of the country’s top cupcake bakers face off in three elimination challenges until only one decorator remains. The sweet prize: $10,000 and the opportunity to showcase their cupcakes at the winning gig. Whether a special Ace of Cakes anniversary celebration, a star-studded magazine party or an A-list celebrity golf tournament, these Cupcakes Wars really heat up. Candace Nelson (owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes) and Florian Bellanger (chef and co-owner of online macaroon company MadMac) serve as permanent judges with a third rotating judge each week, and Justin Willman hosts.

I watched the sneak peek of Cupcake Wars on Sunday. Although I like the concept of this Food Network show, it definitely has a flair for the dramatics. I will not proclaim this show to be a must watch, but if you are looking to burn an hour and be exposed to some odd cupcake flavor combinations, definitely check it out and judge it for yourself. Cupcake Wars airs Tuesdays at 9pm/8c…I will definitely be tuning in tonight to see if my opinion of the show changes before I set my DVR to record the season. If you happened to watch the show, let me know your thoughts!

Now let’s talk chocolate on chocolate cupcakes…the combination of the moist chocolate cake with the richness of the chocolate infused cream cheese frosting is a real stunner. These cupcakes were a big hit and I tell you what, I had to practice some serious will power in order to now eat this frosting by the spoonfull! If you have a favorite chocolate cake recipe, slather on this frosting and become a baking rock star! If you like to experiment, give the Martha Stewart cupcake recipe found below a whirl. I liked it, it’s a tad dense, but super moist. If you like cream cheese frosting, you will be smitten with this chocolate version.

When I was asked to help bake a few sweet treats for our end of the year luncheon at work, I thought this blend of fruit would be the perfect way to kick off our summer vacation.

I like making cupcakes for functions because they have such a high level of portability. They allow people to grab one and go about their day while savoring something delicious. The tulip cupcake/muffin wrappers I baked them in added a little level of uniqueness to a very delicious cupcake.

People were intrigued my these little yellow paper wrappers and thought I made them myself. I am betting they can be easily replicated with parchment paper, but I picked mine up at the local cake decorating store.

For the cupcakes, I used my favorite cake recipe from Dorie Greenspan and topped them with a big swirl of raspberry buttercream. Beware…this frosting may force you to lick the bowl, spoon, beaters, spatula and maybe even your fingers! Yeah, it’s that good, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Although I do not like to drink beer, I do like to cook with it, especially when it’s Guinness. There is something about this dark, thick stout beer that enhances some dishes and really imparts a fabulous flavor. Up until recently, I have only used Guinness in savory dishes, so when I came across a recipe for Guinness cupcakes, I was all over it!

I had faith that these would just have a hint of Guinness and be heavy on the chocolate flavor due to all the cocoa powder. This recipe is very easy to whip together and although the batter reeks of Guinness, the finished product is a moist, light cupcake full of chocolaty goodness. I topped these with a nice dollop of vanilla bean frosting and a quick sprinkling of chocolate jimmies. Brian rated these an A and my co-worker Adam said, “This may be the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.” Now if that statement doesn’t make you want to rush into your kitchen and make these, I don’t know what will.

Thanks for checking out my newest post. In case you didn’t know, I have 2 giveaways running right now, one for a fabulous apron and one for a entire set of Wilton UltraGold Bakeware! Check them out and enter!

Lola was a happy, loving, loyal pet and the best buddy to our male Morkie, Henry. We are all having a difficult time dealing with our loss and miss Lola dearly. It is truly amazing to me the bond that us humans can have with our four-legged babies, but it’s a bond I will never be without. In my opinion, pets can be one of the most pure forms of unconditional love you can ever experience and we were blessed to have Lola in our lives.

Needless to say, I wasn’t really into baking or cooking the last week, but I did manage to make some cupcakes. After they baked, I was contemplating how to frost them and decided to make them white and fluffy looking…just like Lola. This may seem a tad bit odd, but at the time, it offered me a bit of comfort, so I went with it! I topped them with traditional cream cheese frosting then tossed on some shredded coconut. These last minute Lola inspired cupcakes, turned out to be quite a tasty combination. Thanks so much for stopping by, have a fabulous day and if ya have a pet, be sure to give them some extra lovin today!

I was excited to read every single comment; all of the cakes sounded divine and I will likely make many of them in the coming months! But one of the cakes would not leave my thoughts, it had me thinking about chocolate and espresso for days. One of my readers, Jessie posted a link to a Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream from Oprah’s website. I was smitten with this cake at first glance and knew I had to make it immediately! Okay, not immediately because Jessie posted it at almost 10 pm, but I did make it a couple of days later! Before I get to the recipe for this fabulous cake, I first want to mention and link you to some (although I would love to list them all) of the other wonderful cakes my readers posted…

Peanut Butter Cake is Allie’s fave
Coconut Cake mentioned by Catey
Apple Pound Cake was Pam’s favorite
LaRae loves her Peppermint Ho-Ho-Ho Cake
Niki adores her Carrot Cake
Maria and her hubby are smitten with her Plum Nectarine Cake

Now I can move on to this stunningly gorgeous and absolutely delicious Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream. This recipe originally appeared in the July 2004 edition of O Magazine and it may seriously be the absolute best cake I have ever made. The cake has a rich, deep, chocolate flavor and the buttercream has an amazing satin-like texture that pairs beautifully with the cake. The ganache, oh the ganache just puts it over the top and into the realm of pure bliss!  If you are looking for a show-stopper, definitely give this cake a try! It takes a little time and effort, but it is very much worth every minute! Make this for Valentine’s Day and you will definitely impress your sweetie!

Oh and Congratulations to Sheena of the blog, The Hungry Panda. Sheena is the lucky winner of Rose’s Heavenly Cakes! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.

It is freezing here in Ohio and I mean a bone chilling, teeth chattering, freezing…a whopping 12 degrees. The bad part is that it’s not even snowing, my theory is simple…if it’s going to be this cold, at least gimme a snow day, but unfortunately I have not gotten a single one this year! In the midst of this Ohio deep freeze, I was craving a little piece of summer and just happened to have some gorgeous oranges on my counter. I adapted a very simple recipe from the Joy of Baking, tweaking it just a bit to tantalize your taste buds with a lovely burst of orange. I then piped on some cream cheese frosting and enjoyed a little bit of summer! Bake these little beauties in bright cupcake liners, top them with sparkling sugar and I am betting that you will make the special people in your life very happy! Have a fabulous day and stay warm!

Notes:
Cupcake Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking;
Cream Cheese Frosting adapted from The Repressed Pastry Chef
Cupcake liners from World Market
Icing Tip from Bake It Pretty

Well as you may have noticed, My Baking Addiction has a whole new look and I am really excited to post my first recipe on the new site.  A couple of months ago, I decided that I wanted to move from Blogger to WordPress and give my blog a little face lift. With the help of my fabulous web designer, Barb, of Kinetic Webs I think we have created something to be proud of! It was my hope to make the site more sophisticated, modern and user friendly and with a month of hard work, I think we achieved just that! If you have a few minutes, click around the site and check out some of the new features such as a rocking recipe index, a FAQ page, a recipe print function and my Amazon store which is full of all my kitchen and photography essentials. I hope ya take a look around and like what you see! Oh and I wanted to also let you know how freaking amazing WordPress is…if you are thinking about starting a blog, definitely use WordPress. I continue to be amazed by the power, plugins and functionality of this platform.

Now for my very first recipe…

With Valentine’s day quickly approaching, I thought is was time to start baking some holiday themed scrumptious treats! Although I am the queen of procrastinating I actually got my butt in gear and was able to get a few recipes baked & photographed before February…The first lovely treat (pun intended) is for Heart Shaped Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. I saw something similar to these advertised in a magazine for a ridiculous amount of money and thought I could whip these together at home for a much less. I picked up Reynolds disposable heart shaped foil cups from Target and hit the kitchen that evening. These Red Velvet Whoopie Pies turned out super cute and prompted text messages from Brian’s co-worker praising me as a culinary goddess. Okay… maybe he didn’t use the term “culinary goddess” I may have tossed that in for effect; nonetheless, they were fabulous and enjoyed by all!

Wow, it’s December already! The last week in November got away from me…looking back, it was a week of cooking, cleaning, cooking, shopping, cooking, eating. Now that my kitchen is no longer a whirlwind and my pants will button again…I can get back to baking and blogging. I made this recipe for a function at work; the cake recipe came as a recommendation from one of my twitter followers. If I could locate the tweet, I would give them a little shout out, but unfortunately I deleted it by accident! Thanks for the recipe, Katie! These pumpkin cupcakes are truly delightful…they are light, flavorful and super moist. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting made them even more amazing because the flavor combination was truly harmonious. If you have any leftover pumpkin from your holiday feast, definitely give these a whirl…I guarantee you will love ‘em! Just be warned…these were a contributing factor of all my pants fitting a tad too snug, well that and all the damn stuffing I shoved down my face! Have a fabulous day…thanks so much for stopping by!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
yields: approximately 20 cupcakes
adapted from: Martha Stewart

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Finally mix in vanilla and cinnamon. I used this large French Tip from Bake It Pretty to pipe the frosting…I love this piping tip more than words can express…the site is pretty darn awesome too!

The month of October seems to be exiting as quickly as it entered. Since autumn is definitely my favorite season here in Ohio, it saddens me to see the gorgeous leaves hitting the ground and the temperature rapidly descending. The month of October is not just about the turning leaves, the warm sweaters, and the pumpkin baked goods. October is about something much bigger than those things. It’s the spreading of awareness about a disease that has probably impacted each and every one of us in one way or another.

For me, breast cancer is the disease that took my grandmother away thirteen years ago. It’s a disease that I fear…a disease I hope to never fight.

Remember early detection is key…schedule your yearly breast exam!

Looking to make a difference? Check out the Susan G. Komen for the Cure site to find out how to contribute to Breast Cancer Awareness.

For Cupcake Bites, click here.
For the Breast Cancer Awareness Sprinkles, click here…seriously, how cute are they?
Sugar Cookies
from allrecipes

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Method
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Sugar Cookie Icing can be found on the Hungry Housewife’s blog…I like it…I like it a lot! Check out Leslie’s post, she has some fabulous tips for sugar cookies!

Confession…I get slightly obsessed with random stuff quite easily…for example cinnamon baking chips. I have used the Hershey’s brand in the past, but for some reason I could not find them at my local market. I then checked every single market within a 15 mile radius of my home and even enlisted help from Bri and my good friend, Jo. Needless to say we all ended up empty handed. I am ashamed to admit it, but I also contacted Hershey’s…pretty lame, but I wanted those damn cinnamon chips! They told me to check my local Meijer, so I checked and Jo re-checked…still not a bag in sight. I then gave in and hit up the internet, my google search led me to a cute little baking site called The Prepared Pantry. They had mini cinnamon chips AND mini maple chips! The mere thought of mini maple chips sent me over the edge and I immediately placed an order and Bri and Jo breathed a sigh of relief!

My package was on my doorstep within a few days…immediately my brain was in overdrive thinking about what deliciously addictive dessert I would bake first. My first thought was cupcakes and my second thought was of course…pumpkin {shocking, I know}! Another google search led me to a recipe on the lovely Smitten Kitchen’s site for Pumpkin Cupcakes and I had my game plan…Pumpkin Maple Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Seriously how could this combination be a bad thing? Well, my friends, it was a very good thing…a deliciously pumpkin-y, maple-y good thing! I will definitely be making these again and I am now on the hunt for more recipes to toss these little maple gems into! If you have any delicious recipes for these maple chips, send them my way via Twitter or email them to mybakingaddiction{at}gmail{dot}com! Thanks for stopping by, have a deliciously addictive week!

2/3 cup Mini Maple Chips (I bet cinnamon chips work just great, if ya can find them!)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth and fold in the mini maple chips. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter; softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used Beanilla’s Vanilla Bean Paste)

Method
In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

I have seen these cute Hostess inspired cupcakes popping up on Tastespotting and Foodgawker for quite some time, but I successfully withstood the peer pressure to make them until now! Ya see Bri is a serious cupcake fanatic, and always wants chocolate on chocolate, but being a food blogger I am not really one to repeat recipes. So when he requested his BORING chocolate on chocolate combo for the 1,263rd time…I decided to make these babies as a way to please him, but also try a new recipe. A quick search on Foodgawker led me to the recipe for the filling and ganache. I used the recipe off the Hershey’s Cocoa can for the cake and used the other recipes found on Beantown Baker’s blog. The filling is essentially Seven Minute Frosting the icing is a simple ganache, but when all of these elements combine, they make one amazing cupcake. Plus the Hostess swirls and surprise filling will bring a smile to anyone’s face. These were loved by all and I thought they looked super adorable, especially with my beloved chocolate brown cupcake liners! Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!
Hostess Inspired Cupcakes
Adapted from Beantown Baker

Hershey’s Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Filling (Seven Minute Frosting):
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ganache (I doubled the recipe below)
1/4 cup cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with paper baking cups.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans; 2/3 full
3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes. (I got 26 cupcakes)

4. While waiting for cupcakes to cool, combine filling ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.

5.Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use the cone method (click here for Beantown’s post on this technique) to fill with filling.

6. Once all cupcakes are filled, make the ganache. In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

I purchased a bunch of really great strawberries from the market and I wanted to do something with them before they were past their prime. I did a little googling and came across a recipe on Martha Stewart’s site for Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes. I am sure most of you are aware of Sprinkles Cupcakes, but if you are not, they are one of the first cupcake boutique~type bakeries in California. They offer a pretty extensive menu of flavors that rotates throughout the week. Sprinkles has become such a huge phenomenon, they now offer their mixes which can be purchased from their website or at Williams Sonoma and even have a Sprinklesmobile which delivers cupcakes in the Beverly Hills area.

Now on to the cupcakes…this recipe is very straight forward and easy to make. I put the strawberries in my Magic Bullet and had the strawberry puree done in a snap. The cupcakes baked up evenly and had a good texture. I found them to be a bit on the dry side, but Bri’s co-workers raved over them!

The true star of these cupcakes was the frosting, which I adapted from the Sprinkles recipe. I threw in a brick of cream cheese in place of a stick of butter and made a few more minor adjustments. This frosting came out amazing and according to others tastes like homemade strawberry ice cream.

Although I believe the cupcake recipe needs a little tweaking, this frosting will remain a regular in my kitchen…I think it would be amazing on a layered cake or as a filling for strawberries! Thanks for stopping by…have a great day!

Oh, and congratulations to Nina, of Nina’s Cupcakes for winning my ice cream giveaway!

Click Here for the Cupcake Recipe

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole strawberries
1 stick unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, slightly cold
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
22 ounces of confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1.4 pounds)

Method
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the cream cheese and beat until combined. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air.

Note: The frosting is able to be piped, but is on the soft side and definitely needs to be refrigerated!