Chocolate RumChata Cupcakes

When a friend asked me to make him cupcakes for his birthday using chocolate and RumChata, I was thrilled to get another chance to bake with RumChata. I had previously made these RumChata Coconut Cupcakes, but I wasn't 100 percent happy with the outcome. I think the pairing of coconut and RumChata came out too sweet. I wanted a do-over. I decided to make a chocolate cupcake, filled with a whipped RumChata white chocolate, and topped with a RumChata cinnamon cream cheese. These cupcakes were awesome! They were not overly sweet, and everyone loved them.

Chocolate RumChata Cupcakes
Source: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

1 and 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat together oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 18–22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling and frosting.

Whipped RumChata White Chocolate Ganache
Ganache inspired by Smitten Kitchen
4 oz. white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream (minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons RumChata

Place white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Simmer the heavy cream and RumChata in a small saucepan until hot and simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for one minute. Stir until silky and smooth. Let cool for a few minutes. With a hand mixer, beat ganache on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Cinnamon RumChata Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 stick butter (room temperature)
3–4 cups powdered sugar
2–4 tablespoons RumChata
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time and RumChata one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add cinnamon and beat well.

RumChata Coconut Cupcakes

When I was asked to make another RumChata cupcake, I realized I never blogged the first ones I made. For those of you who aren't familiar with RumChata, it's a cinnamon cream liqueur. I think it tastes like rice pudding or close to Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. A friend of mine asked me to make her RumChata cupcakes with coconut for her birthday. I could not figure out how to mix the two flavors. I came up with a RumChata vanilla cupcake, filled with whipped coconut white chocolate ganache, and topped with RumChata buttercream. The result was a sweet cupcake with flavors of RumChata and coconut. I wasn't thrilled with how sweet the cupcakes came out, but they were delicious. I vowed to rock a do-over.

RumChata Cupcakes
Cupcakes inspired by Melissa Bakes 

1 stick butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup RumChata

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.Turn mixer to low and alternately add flour mixture and Rumchata in three additions, ending with flour.Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.Cool completely on a wire rack and top with your favorite icing.

Whipped Coconut White Chocolate Ganache
Ganache inspired by Smitten Kitchen

4 oz. white chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Place white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Simmer the heavy cream and coconut extract in a small saucepan until hot and simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for one minute. Stir until silky and smooth. Let cool for a few minutes. With a hand mixer, beat ganache on high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy.




Rumchata Buttercream
1 stick butter (room temperature)
2–3 cups powdered sugar
3–4 tablespoons RumChata

Beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and RumChata one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Beat well.

Cherry Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet are one of my favorite cupcakes behind coconut, of course! They are tangy, moist, and delicious. They are also one of my good friend's favorites. This year for her birthday she asked me to jazz up my red velvet recipe up with cherries.The result was a tangy red velvet cupcake with a hint of cherry flavor, a cherry surprise in the center, and cherry-scented cream cheese frosting on top. I thought they might be too sweet, but they turned out perfect! Just about everyone loved them and declared them their new favorite! If you like cherry and red velvet, you have to try these!

Cherry Velvet Cupcakes

Source: adapted from Cakeman Raven as seen on Food Network

2 and 1/2 cups cake flour (I used AP and replaced 5 tablespoons with cornstarch.)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 tablespoons cherry juice (from jar of maraschino cherries)

1 teaspoon almond extract

24–48 maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 24 cupcake liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and set aside. 

In another bowl beat together buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vegetable oil, food coloring, cherry juice, and almond extract on medium speed until blended.

Slowly add flour mixture and beat until combined.

Drop 1 or 2 cherries in the middle of each cupcake before baking.

Fill liners about 3/4 full and bake for 16 - 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Cherry-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. block cream cheese (room temperature)

1 stick butter (room temperature)
5–6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoons almond extract
2 to 4 tablespoons cherry juice (from jar of maraschino cherries)
a few drops of red or pink food coloring

Beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. Add almond extract and cherry juice. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring and beat well.