Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes and Chocolate Caramel/stroopwafel cupcakes

My husband's family is Dutch. They are also a HUGE family. His cousin recently got engaged, so we are having an engagement party for her, and I volunteered to make the cupcakes. These cupcakes turned into a huge labor of love! Through many mishaps and a big mess, four hours later I had about 50 cupcakes. Here are the recipes I used!

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups light all-purpose flour (like White Lily)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 lemons, zest of
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• raspberry cream frosting
• 8 ounces cold cream cheese
• 3/4 cup room-temperature butter
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 drop red food coloring
• 3 powdered sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. 1 Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. 2 Line cupcake pans with paper liners and spray the liners with non-stick spray. (It makes the liners peel off easier.).
3. 3 Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until combined.
4. 4 Add the butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
5. 5 In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
6. 6 With the mixer on medium speed, add the wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down the sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over-beat.
7. 7 Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full.
8. 8 Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
9. 9 Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. 10 Repeat process with remaining batter. â?¨Should make about 30.
11. 11 Raspberry Cream Frosting~ In the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and jam together until smooth.
12. 12 Add the vanilla, salt and food coloring; mix until an even colored pink is reached.
13. 13 Turn the mixer on low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time to avoid a sugar cloud. Then turn the mixer up until the frosting is smooth.
14. 14 Place in the refrigerator until and cupcakes are cooled and ready to be frosted.
15. 15 Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost the cupcakes and garnish with fresh raspberries.
16. 16 Makes 30 cupcakes.

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

(Adapted from A Bakers Field Guide To Cupcakes)

(Makes 20)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder, unsweetened

3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Butter, unsalted, at room temperature

1 + 1/3 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

3 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup Milk, at room temperature (I used buttermilk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cupcake pans by greasing or placing paper liners in them.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

3. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl occasionally. Beat in Vanilla Extract. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in cooled chocolate.

4. Beat in the flour mixture in 4 additions alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth on low-medium.

5. Fill cupcake wells 3/4 of the way. Bake about 22 minutes or until a toothpick in middle shows a few moist crumbs.

6. Cool on wire racks ten minutes. Then remove cupcakes to racks to cool completely.

Caramel Frosting*

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

1/2 cup Butter

1 cup Packed Brown Suger

3/4 cup Milk, divided

3 cups Powdered Confectioners' Sugar, plus a little extra if needed

1. In a 2-quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, reduce heat to low.

2. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Milk. Heat to boiling, remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

3. Pour the caramel into a large mixing bowl gradually stir in powdered sugar and milk. Beat with an electric hand mixer on low about 6 minutes until light and fluffy. If too stiff add milk a teaspoon at a time to get the right consistency. If too watery add additional powdered sugar beating on low until it reaches the right consistency.

4. Store in refrigerator for 15 minutes before frosting to help it firm up.

I then drizzled some caramel over the top of the cupcakes, and added some mini chocolate chips, then I topped them off with a stroopwafel!  (They are a Dutch little dessert biscuit thing. I find them at World Market)