Chocolate Cupcakes With Spinach And Blueberries Recipes

BETTER-FOR-YOU CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, spinach purée, water and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling about three-fourths full.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting on cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting when cool.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with Reynolds® StayBrite® Baking Cups.
• Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat about 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each one-half to two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.
• Bake about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin pans. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Use a small paring knife to remove a cone-shape piece of cupcake, going down only about one-third to one-half of the way into the cupcake. Fill each with 1 teaspoon preserves. Top with the removed portion of the cupcake, then with Raspberry Frosting and fresh raspberries.
• Raspberry Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Gently fold in raspberry preserves.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH SPINACH AND BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Make sneaky chef purple puree (this recipe calls for 3/4 cup) by cooking the spinach and blueberries until soft. I microwave them for 4 minutes, but you could also put them in a pan and gently cook (covered). Take the cooked spinach and blueberries and puree them in the food processor or blender. I find that the liquid that cooked off from the spinach is the right amount to make the puree work. Process until smooth. You don't want the texture to give away the presence of the veggies! 1 cup of each makes approximately 3/4 cup of "purple puree" and I find that whatever the yield has worked in this recipe.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and prep your pan(s) with cooking spray or liners.
• Melt the butter and chocolate chips together. I use 30 seconds in the microwave, but you could do this over the stove.
• Stir together the wet ingredients (melted butter and chocolate, pureed spinach and blueberries, egg, vanilla, and sugar).
• Whisk together the dry ingredients (white flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt). If you follow sneaky chef, the original recipe called for 1 cup of her flour blend.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
• Pour into cupcakes or mini-bundt pans. I got 16 of the little silicon mold cupcakes or 6 of the wilson mini-bundt pan size.
• Bake at 350°F for 23 to 25 minutes for the cupcakes. I baked at 340°F for 25 minutes. You'll know they are done when the top springs back to the touch, or when a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely before tasting. If you taste these while warm, you can kind of smell the spinach even though you can't taste it. The large amount of vanilla helps cover any spinach smell that might linger.

SPINACH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 6-cup standard muffin tin (or the 6 middle cups of a 12-cup tin) with cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together the heavy cream and eggs in a large bowl and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Add the leftover creamed spinach and thoroughly combine. Divide the spinach mixture among the muffin cups in the prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the oven until the tops are golden and they spring back to the touch, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool to just warm or room temperature before frosting.
• Meanwhile, add the feta and cream cheese to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until light and fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
• Pipe the tops of each of the spinach cupcakes with some of the feta frosting. Top each with a sprinkle of paprika and some chopped chives and serve.

BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the topping: Mix together granulated and brown sugars and cinnamon.
• Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in upper third of oven. Line cups of a standard muffin tin with baking cups. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour. Fold in blueberries.
• Divide batter among baking cups. Add topping, pressing to adhere to batter. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 20 to 21 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Make the icing: Beat together butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Raise speed to medium-high, and beat 1 minute. Spoon jam on top of icing, and without stirring, spoon icing into a disposable pastry bag. Snip off a 3/4-inch opening in tip, and pipe swirled mounds of icing on top of each cupcake. Although best if eaten immediately, cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 6 hours and brought to room temperature 45 minutes before serving.