Wedding cupcakes

[hedgehog]

Lemon lavender cupcakes

1 Betty CrockerSuper moist vanilla cake mix
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (juice scant 1/4 cup)
1 tbs very potent smelling lavender, rubbed between fingers
Water (minus amount of juice), oil, eggs according to instructions on box



Lemon glaze (sugar, zest, juice, thinned with a few drops of water)

Confectioners sugar
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Few drops water

I did not measure this one out.  I used about 2 cups of sugar, zest and juice of one lemon. Mix sugar, zest and juice.  Add water a few drops at a time if it needs to be thinned.

Lemon frosting

1 lb sugar
1 stick butter
Zest of 1 lemon
Lemon juice
Milk

Beat sugar, lemon zest, and butter on low until well mixed.  Add juice, mix on medium.  Slowly add milk until desired consistency.








Vanilla cupcakes

1 Betty Crocker French vanilla super moist mix
Scrapings from 1 vanilla bean
Water, oil, eggs, according to directions on box




Vanilla bean frosting

1 lb confectioners sugar
2 vanilla beans, scraped
1 stick butter, softened
Milk, add to get desired consistency

Beat sugar, vanilla, butter on low until well mixed.  Add milk a little at a time, beat on medium until desired consistency.





Chocolate salted caramel cupcakes

1 Betty Crocker triple chocolate fudge super moist mix
1/2 cup decaf espresso
1/4 cup salted caramel
Water (minus 1/2 cup coffee), oil, eggs according to instructions on box

After baking, core the cupcakes and insert a glob of salted caramel in each.


Salted caramel


1 2/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

For the salted caramel: Combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water and the corn syrup in a small saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, swirling the pot occasionally, until the mixture is a beautiful amber color (watch closely). Once the desired color is reached, immediately add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Remove from the heat. Add the heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Stir in the coarse salt. Let cool.



Toffee

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Heat all ingredients over medium, stirring constantly, until a deep toffee color, remove from heat and pour into a foil-lined pan.  When cool, break into pieces.

[hedgehog]

The ratio of cupcakes and frosting may not match up.

Also do NOT waste those vanilla pods after scraping out the insides.  Put the pods in a jar with sugar.  Within a couple of weeks you will have some delicious vanilla sugar.  It is very good in coffee, and can be used in baking.  I now have a ton (three jars) so I think I will be using it in my Christmas cookies this year.

[becca]

Do you both glaze and frost the lemon lavendar cupcakes?

[hezzier]

Can I move in next door to you?  I want the cupcakes without all the work.  Need to hurry up and get the kitchen redone so I can teach DD how to bake and then she can do all the work.

They all sound delicious.

[hedgehog]

Do you both glaze and frost the lemon lavendar cupcakes?

Yes.  I let they cupcakes cool, then glaze.  Then after the glaze is set, I frost. Right now they are in the freezer with glaze.  Yet another humidity concern 

[Macabre]

Pictures of the final product please!

[hedgehog]

Of course, but you will probably have to wait until Monday.

[becca]

Good luck!!  Hopefully a little extra sugar, and maybe cream of tartar??,  can improve the resilience of the frosting?

[hedgehog]

Yeah, I mixed it up a little thicker, less moisture in it to begin with.  Hopefully that helps, but I still need it loose enough to work with.  And I won't know how badly it handles the humidity until after they are decorated.  The true test is how well it hods up once done.

[PurpleCat]

Wow!  Grown up cupcakes!  They sound delicious!

[hedgehog]

Cupcakes have been set up and I am at the hotel waiting for the rest of family to arrive.  I will try to post the pictures, but the wifi is very slow here.  Just tried it is going to take a while.  Maybe have to wait until I get home.

[becca]

Have FUN!!  Glad they made it!

[hedgehog]

This is the cutting cake. Please DNQ pix.  Will delete as it includes name

Deleted.  I'd anyone missed it and would like to see, pm me.

[hedgehog]

This is the cupcake display. 

[hedgehog]

The top photo is the chocolate salted caramel, the middle is lemon lavender, and the bottom is the vanilla bean.