December is here! The month of Christmas… the time of the year that we bake the most! I too had a lot of fun the previous years, baking some of my favorite Xmas desserts; Non-Alcoholic Christmas Cake, Alcoholic Christmas Cake, and Gingerbread Cookies. Although I do bake quite often, over the years I’ve started to grow a liking towards spicy flavors and took that as my inspiration for this Christmas. So here you go, a cupcake recipe from my pantry but with a twist of spicy gingerbread cookie flavors.

As I said before, these cupcakes are so different from the regular ones because they are spiced. The addition of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice gives it an aromatic flavor which reminds you of Christmas and the holidays. When you pull them out of the oven, your whole house literally starts to fill with the warmth and aroma of these spices, it’s pure bliss… I’m short of words to describe how good that feels!!

And to take the flavors of this beautiful dessert to another level, I have topped them up with Cream Cheese Frosting… a match made in heaven! A combo which keeps you craving for more…

Now if you want to impress your guests with some fun-filled theme-based presentation, top the frosted cupcakes with cute little gingerbread man icing decorations and Christmas sprinkles. The ones I’ve used were bought from Michael’s but you can also find them at Amazon here.

If you are in search for a good Gingerbread Cookies recipe, check out my Gingerbread Cookies post, it is a winner recipe and a definite crowd pleaser!

Merry Christmas & Happy Baking…!

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Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Kick off this year’s Christmas Party and Impress your Holiday Guests with these Spicy Tender Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcake, gingerbread, gingerbread cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16 cupcakes

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1½ cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg (at room temperature)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup milk (at room temperature)

For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 block (8oz) cream cheese (softened)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Gingerbread man icing decorations (optional)
• Christmas sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

For the cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
• Prepare dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg and allspice in a large bowl. Keep aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the egg and beat, followed by adding molasses.
• Add the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with milk and beat until they combine well and the batter turns out smooth. The consistency of the batter is thick.
• Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them a little over half way full.
• Bake in the oven for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting

• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat until smooth.
• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes as desired.
• You may store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before using it again.
• Decorate with gingerbread man and Christmas sprinkles as desired (optional).

The post Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Red Velvet cake also known as Red Waldorf Cake is a layered cake with the flavour of cocoa powder in an attractive red color, and a classic cream cheese frosting. The cake is all about love and romance, and the romantic stories behind it go all the way back to the times of the civil war, where southern American ladies baked them to seduce and keep their husbands home and from going for the war. The origin of the Red Velvet Cake is known to be from America in the early 19^th Century. Though not popular initially, it was around the beginning of 1996 that the cake gained much attention and now it is the most famous dessert in America, and well known all over the world.

Red Velvet Cake is all about love and romance, and I really wanted to give justice to the cake by creating the same emotions in my photos, and with its preparation & flavour. To set the mood, how better can it get than a dark background with candle lights. Romance is incomplete without red roses, and an erotic novel by Sylvia Day to accompany it takes the whole frame to another level. Seduction and Champagne, hand in hand… and the beautiful glow of the candle light makes my fairytale romance complete…!!!

I have been planning for a while now to bake a red velvet cake and it was this second attempt where I was able to find success. The cake is moist and fluffy, with a perfect balance of sweetness which is not overpowered by the saltiness from the cream cheese. Though the recipe adds cocoa powder, you hardly notice the chocolate flavour.

I am happy to share this recipe as it turned out pretty well and the effort behind it was worth every bit. I have also included some tips for making the rosette, because I know how hard it is for a beginner. Be patient and practice, that’s the main advice I can give.

Tips for making Rosette:

1. I used a Wilton 1M/2D rose tip to decorate the roses.
2. It is ideal to chill your frosting for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before you pipe, so that your rosette stands firm.
3. If your frosting turns out to be too thick, add a few drops of milk and beat till you get the perfect consistency.
4. Make sure you have enough frosting to pipe the roses. Sometimes these roses take a lot of frosting, so be prepared for it. The measurements which I have provided here is enough for two 9inch round cakes as seen in my pictures.
5. I highly recommend you practice the roses on a flat surface first to avoid any mistakes before decorating the cake, especially if you are a newbie like me.
6. Always start decorating from the bottom of the cake. It is easier to clean up any mistakes or mess from the bottom. If your roses start to slide down, chill the frosting for another 15 minutes to set and redo.
7. To decorate the roses; gently pipe a center point, and start moving the tip in a circle, counter clockwise direction, and repeat the process. Pipe your roses tightly leaving no gaps between them. Fill the spaces in-between by piping a dot or a flower bud.
8. When you are done with decoration, chill your cake for another 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set completely.

Enjoy baking, Happy Caking…!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare.

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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Rosette

Red Velvet Cake with Classic Cream Cheese Rosettes...!! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, red velvet cake, rosette, valentines day

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Decoration 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For making cake

• 2⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup corn starch
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1½ tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs (separated – at room temperature)
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 3½ tbsp liquid red food color
• 1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)

For making cream cheese frosting

• 16 oz + 8oz full fat cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
• 6 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
• ½ cup + 4 tbsp unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 4 tsp liquid red food color

Instructions

For making cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Apply butter on two 9 inch cake pans and set aside.
• In a small bowl, sift and mix dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter on high speed until smooth and creamy (1 min).
• Add granulated sugar, beat for another 2 mins to mix.
• Add oil and beat on high for 2 mins. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
• While beating on high speed, add the vanilla extract and egg yolks. Beat well to mix properly.
• Add the red food color slowly along with vinegar, beat well to mix and give the batter a proper red color.
• Add the dry ingredient mix at this stage, slowly alternating with buttermilk and flour on a low speed. Do not over mix the batter.
• In the meantime, beat the egg whites in another bowl vigorously until soft peaks form (3 mins). The peaks should hold their shape when beaters are lifted.
• Fold in the cake batter using a rubber spatula. The batter will be smooth and thick.
• Pour the batter equally into the prepared pans, Bake for about 30 – 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Unmold the cakes by running a knife or a rubber spatula over the sides of the pan. Carefully flip them over.

For making cream cheese frosting for filling inside and covering around

• Beat cream cheese (8oz) and butter (4 tbsp) on a medium speed and until smooth.
• Beat in sugar (2 cups), vanilla extract (1 tbsp) and milk (1tbsp) on a high speed for another 3 minutes.
• Level the top surface of the bottom cake by shaving off the uneven portions.
• Apply a thick base coat of frosting evenly using a spatula on top of the shaved cake surface. Sandwich the second cake on top of it and apply the base coat on the top and sides of both cakes. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

For making cream cheese for rosettes

• Beat cream cheese (16oz) and butter (½ cup) on medium speed until smooth.
• Beat in sugar (4 cups), vanilla extract (1 tbsp) on a low speed, and slowly increase speed to medium, beat for 3 minutes.
• Add liquid red food color (4 tsp) at this stage; beat on low for another 1-2 minutes. This gives a bright pink color as seen in the picture. If you want to go for light pink shade, cut down the red food color to 2 tsp.
• Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This helps to pipe the roses nicely.

Notes

1. Make sure your eggs, butter, buttermilk and cream cheese are brought to a room temperature. Otherwise it will affect the texture of the cake.
2. When you mix oil with butter, it may not combine well but that’s completely okay. It will melt inside while baking.
3. Always use fresh eggs and while beating the egg whites, do so till soft peaks are properly formed and hold their shape when lifting the beater.
4. I used 4 tsp of liquid red food color to get a bright pink color for my frosting. If you prefer light pink, cut down to 2 tsp. If you do not want any color, make sure you thin the frosting by adding milk to get the right consistency.

The post Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Rosettes appeared first on Pepper Delight.