Halloween Cupcakes

I dont know if you have ever heard of the movie "Return of the Living Dead", but it has to be my all time favorite "horror" movie. That's is how i picked my blog name. So these cupcakes are influenced by my favorite movie.

Its almost Halloween so these seem perfect! I made a Death by Chocolate cupcake and Red Velvet cupcake. Since its Halloween I'm changing the names.

Death by Chocolate Cupcake or "Death by Tarman"

What you need:

• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 6 ounces butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool completely before decorating. Dip tops of cooled cupcakes in the warm ganache and let set. Makes about 20 cupcakes.

Ganache:

8 ounces chocolate (i used semi-sweet)

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Put chocolate and place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Bring cream and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan and then pour over chocolate. Whisk together and then stir in butter until melted.

Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting or "Brains for Freddy"

What you need:

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 36 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need:

• 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• 2 & 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In a bowl, with your electric mixer on medium high speed, beat together cream cheese, butter and salt until creamy. With mixer on low speed, make 1/2 cup additions of sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Increase the speed of your mixer between each addition.

I added a drop of red food dye to the frosting so the brains would be pink.

The Beginning

I have always loved cooking, but that doesn't mean I've always been good at it. I have had my share of disasters. I love sweets (who doesn't) and loved baking. I always used box mixes until the day i had homemade. Since then i always go out of my way to make homemade, and in doing that i have discovered amazing desserts that they dont offer in a box.

So hopefully you learn somethings or it at least makes your mouth water.

Cheers