♥ Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Kahlua Creme Frosting

It's fall y'all and so are these cupcakes! I love baking with booze, and seems like everyone else is loving it this season. These cupcakes are perfect for any party. For more information and pricing please check out my website www.carlymakescakes.com.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Kahlua Creme Frosting:

Cake:

Ingredients:

(makes 12 cupcakes)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 large egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons applesauce

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar and white sugar together, until smooth. Stir in the milk, vegetable oil, applesauce, pumpkin and walnuts, until just combined. Do not over mix.

Add dry mix in three separate batches until just combined. 

Fill a cupcake pan with the batter 4/5 full.

Bake in the oven for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. 

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons Kahlua

2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat the the cream cheese, butter and Kahlua together using an electric mixer. 

Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and creamy.

Frost the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!

♥ Mickey Mouse Smash Cake

This chocolate smash cake was for the hippest kid I know. It was a small 6 inch cake made just for the birthday boy to enjoy, and to get messy. Happy Birthday Major! The bottom of the cake is frosted in buttercream and the mickey ears are made of cake and black fondant. For more information please visit www.CarlyMakesCakes.com.

♥ Rolled Sugar Cookies with Royal Frosting!

The country fair themed birthday turned out adorable, I'm so thankful to bring my goodies to compliment the party. I made barn yard animal sugar cookies (recipe below), cupcake and a cake. There was a horse cookie casualty, but I think they're perfect!  Thanks to Kelly O. photography for the amazing pictures too!

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients:

(makes 4 dozen)

 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

 2 cups white sugar

 4 eggs

 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 5 cups all-purpose flour

 2 teaspoons baking powder

 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

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 overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

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.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. 

Cool completely.

Royal Icing:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Meringue Powder 

4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons warm water

Instructions:

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks.

♥ Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Whipped Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!

For the birthday boy's 3rd birthday, I turned this sweet, and tart, poppyseed lemon cake into a country fair themed cake. The 4 layer cake was filled and frosted with a light lemon cream cheese frosting, and decorated with fondant figurines. The flavor of the cake was so yummy and fresh... perfect for summer!

For pricing and more info please visit my website.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cake:

(makes 2 8 inch rounds)

Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2-3 tbsp poppy seeds

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch cubes

zest of 1 large lemon

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

5 egg whites

½ tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds; mix on low speed until combined. 

Add butter, lemon zest, and one cup of the buttermilk, beat for 2-3 minutes, until combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of buttermilk, egg whites and vanilla.

Gradually add the egg white mixture to the batter and beat for another 1-2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Make sure everything is thoroughly combined, but do not overbeat your batter. 

Pour into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Let cake cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, cold

2½ tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¼ cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. lemon extract

zest of ½ a lemon

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined. 

Mix in the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. 

Blend in the lemon extract and lemon zest. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.

Wipe out the mixer bowl and fit with the whisk attachment.

Add the heavy cream to the bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over beat.

Mix about a third of the whipped cream into the lemon-mascarpone mixture to lighten. 

Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain and the mixture is evenly blended.

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

6-8 cups powdered sugar

zest of 1 lemon

fresh lemon juice, to taste

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add cream cheese and mix for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar (a little at a time), lemon zest, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. 

Add fresh lemon juice, a tablespoon at a time, till lemon flavor is to your liking. 

If mixture seems to thick, add milk, 2 tablespoons at a time to reach desired consistency. 

If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

♥ Perfect Chocolate Cake with a Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

This sweet cake is modeled after the birthday boy's 1971 chevy van. Inside the van is free candy, chocolate cake and a rich whiskey buttercream frosting. 

For pricing info and questions, please visit my website www.carlymakescakes.com. 

Hersey's Perfect Chocolate Cake:

(makes 9x12 sheet 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

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

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 pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Whiskey Buttercream:

Ingredients:

3½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Directions:

Beat the butter until creamy. 

Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium-high speed. 

Once it’s all incorporated, add in the vanilla and whiskey, and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.

♥ Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Coconut Pecan Frosting

For more pricing information please check out my website, www.carlymakescakes.com.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Makes 24+ cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Measure out milk and vanilla together.

Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.

Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full.

Bake for 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

7 ounces flaked coconut, about 2 2/3 cups

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook and stir on medium heat about 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown.

Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.

Cool to room temperature and of spreading consistency.

I used a ice cream scoop to apply the frosting and drizzled the cupcakes with melted bitter-sweet frosting. 

♥ Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Assorted cupcakes with fondant and sprinkle details.

2 Cupcakes $5

6 Cupcakes $15

12 Cupcakes $25

 For more information please check out my website, www.carlymakescakes.com.

♥ Almond Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

To see more pictures, information, and quotes please check out my website.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 cup milk at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8-inch cake pans.

Make sure milk and eggs are room temperature.

Pour milk , egg whites, and extracts into medium bowl and mix with fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter, cut into cubes and continue beating on low for about 1-2 minutes.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to flour mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat for about 1 minute.

Pour batter evenly between two prepared cake pans.

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 27 to 30 minutes.

Allow cake to cool to room temperature.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 package Reduced Fat Or Regular Cream Cheese, Softened (8 Ounces)

1 jar Kraft Marshmallow Creme (7 Ounces)

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, marshmallow creme and vanilla extract until well blended.

♥ Rolo Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies

The hardest part about these cookies was waiting for them to completely cool to enjoy. I must say that it was worth the wait, as the true flavor of the rolo came out after the cookies had completely cooled. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

About 30 Rolos
Instructions:

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In stand mixer beat the butter and 1 cup sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and vanilla beat on low for 2 more minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the sugar mixture in three parts and beat on low just until combined. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes scoop up about a tablespoon of dough, stick a rolo in the center and roll into a ball. Set on parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all the cookie dough is used up. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon in a wide, shallow bowl.

Working in batches, roll the cookies in the cinnamon sugar and bake 2 inches apart for 14 minutes. Refrigerate the unbaked cookies in between batches.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.