The lovely folks over at RobertRose.ca provided me with a copy of 150 Best Cupcake Recipes to review. I love cupcakes so this may be the easiest review I’ve ever completed! The hardest part was choosing which ones to make.
150 Best Cupcake Recipes also includes tips for decorating cupcakes – a skill I wish I could master! The author, Julie Hasson, has tried to create recipes for all different tastes and preferences including a chapter with vegan recipes.
The first recipe I tried was the the Best Chocolate Cupcakes. With a name like that, how could I not try it?! This recipe was both quick & easy to make (that’s the best kind of recipe now that I’m a busy mom). They were full of flavor and I can see how they earned their name! I paired this cupcake with the Cookies & Cream Buttercream Icing. Honestly, I have never made a more delicious icing. I almost ran out of icing for the cupcakes because I kept eating the icing right out of the bowl. This is now my favorite icing and it will be the one I make for holidays and potluck dinners. With an intro like that, I’d be cruel not to share the recipe with you…so here it is!
150 Best Cupcake Recipes – Best Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until batter is smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 27 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
- Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.
- 1⅓ cups confectioner's (icing) sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup whipping (35%) cream
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 4 chocolate sandwich cookies, broken into pieces
- Makes about 1½ cups - enough to frost 12 or more cupcakes.
- In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together sugar, butter and salt until well combined.
- Increase speed to high, beating until light and fluffy.
- Add cream and vanilla, beating until frosting is smooth.
- Add broken cookies, beating until mixed.
- Spread icing on cooled cupcakes with a knife.
150 Best Cupcake Recipes – Carrot Zucchini Cupcakes:
The second recipe I tried was the Carrot Zucchini Cupcake recipe. I love chocolate zucchini bread & carrot cake so I was sure I’d like a recipe that included both zucchini and carrots. Since these cupcakes include healthy vegetables, you won’t feel as guilty eating one (or two) as a snack or a an evening dessert. I tried these cupcakes both with and without icing (Yes, I ate two…but it was for research purposes!) and they taste great both ways. I tried the cream cheese icing recipe which paired perfectly with this cupcake.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded carrot (about 1 large carrot)
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
- ⅓ cup milk
- Makes 12 cupcakes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter and eggs until smooth.
- Add shredded carrot and zucchini, beating until mixed.
- Alternately stir in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk, beating until smooth.
- Scoop batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
- Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 2¼ cups confectioner's (icing) sugar, sifted
- Makes about 2 cups of icing, enough to frost 16 or more cupcakes.
- In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together cream cheese, butter and salt until creamy.
- With mixer on low speed, beat in confectioner's sugar, ½ cup at a time so that the sugar doesn't fly all over the place.
- Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes and refrigerate until ready to serve or for up to 1 day.
If you try any of these recipes, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!
For more delicious recipes, check out our special Recipes page.
To purchase your own copy of 150 Best Cupcake Recipes, visit RobertRose.ca. If you have any cupcake fans or bakers on your shopping list, they’ll love this book.
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*Disclosure: Although I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook to review, 100% of the opinions expressed here are my own.
Hum–wonder if I could substitute the white flour for something a bit more diabetic friendly-would love to try the carrot and zucchini cupcakes!!
I wish I had the decorating skill also!
On no here I go again. I have to make the Carrot Zucchini Cupcakes. I have a small obsession with cupcakes and have to make these!
Pinning these for later. Yes please!
I usually make my cupcakes from the box. lol But I SOOO wanted to try your icings, they sound delicious!
Carrot Zucchini Cupcakes sound so yummy!
Ooooh! You had me at cupcake!!!!
BAM! Post bookmarked! You have no idea how many of your recipes I’ve bookmarked! So many! LOL!
Oooh, butter cream is my most favourite icing! I’m loving the look of these recipes, and will really have to try out the Carrot Zucchini Cupcakes *soon*. (Like tonight if I can get all the ingredients, lol.)
Wow, with 150 recipes to choose from, I can see why you had a touch decision! That buttercream icing sounds heavenly!
These sounds delicious!! We love cupcakes and I usually stick with the same recipe I’ve always used (out of laziness haha) but really want to try some new ones like these. Thanks for sharing 🙂
These look GREAT!! Pinning this to save it and try some out!! THANKS!
this would be a scary thing to have in my house!
Oh now I have to decide which to make, they all sound so good!
I love the idea of reviewing cookbooks! That is similar to what I do on my blog. This icing looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!