This post originally published in Feb 2014 and has been updated with new pictures. 

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a treat!

Soft, tender buttermilk cupcakes are topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, creating delicious pink velvet cupcakes, perfect for your Valentine’s Day.

Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day shall we? I know there are two camps when it comes to this day/holiday. People who love it or those who hate it because it’s synonymous to single’s awareness day.

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The post Pink Velvet Cupcakes appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes in October??? You must think I have my seasons mixed up, but I don’t. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I’ve partnered with KitchenAid to help support the fight against breast cancer through their 10,000 Cupcakes One Great Cause program. This year for each person who shares an original cupcake recipe on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags #10000Cupcakes and #Donate, KitchenAid will donate $1 to Susan G. Komen to help support the fight against breast cancer, up to $10,000. In addition,KitchenAid will donate $450,000 or more to Susan G. Komen® through the Cook for the Cure® program and sales from the pink product collection.

Isn’t that awesome? I mean we all bake cupcakes anyway so why not put them to good use by simply snapping a picture and posting on our social media? Let’s face it, you will post it there anyway. So PLEASE join me to support this great cause as I am sure everyone or someone you know has been touched in some way by cancer. The only way we can beat this terrible disease is by supporting organizations like Susan G. Komen that sponsor research. We cannot cure a disease if we don’t understand the causes entirely (the scientist in me knows this for a fact!)

To help this cause, I made these easy yet pretty pink lemonade cupcakes using the Raspberry Ice Stand Mixer and polka dot Ceramic Bowl (a special KitchenAid product supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Who says we can’t have one of our favorite summer drinks anytime we want? I say we all bake pink lemonade cupcakes even if we can’t have a pink lemonade now. These cupcakes are refreshing, tangy and sweet with a fluffy lemon cupcake topped with a sweet lemon buttercream.

I hope you will help me and Kitchenaid raise money for this great cause by baking cupcakes!! Any cupcake as long as you tag them on Twitter or Instagram with #10000Cupcakes and #Donate. To participate, please visit the hub on KitchenAid to read about rules and regulations for the program and information about Cook for the Cure in general.

Now for an extra encouragement, Kitchenaid was generous to donate ONE Raspberry Ice Stand Mixer and pink polka dot Ceramic Bowl (pictured above) to ONE lucky reader. Yes that is YOU! Use the widget below to enter for a chance to win.

Print

Yield: ~24 cupcakes

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

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• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from about 2 lemons
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup freshly squeeze lemon juice, from about 3 lemons
• ¾ cup milk
• a few drops red food coloring (optional)

For Pink Lemonade Frosting:

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• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 lemon, zest + juice
• a few drops red food coloring (optional)

Instructions

For Cupcakes

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub together zest and sugar until fragrant. Add in the butter and beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Alternatively add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat well after each addition. Beat in the food coloring if using.
4. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake cupcakes until the center springs back when touched and a tester comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely on a cooling rack.

For frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high speed until pale and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice (and food coloring if using). Mix on low speed for a minute and then increase to medium-high speed to beat until well combined. Frost cupcakes with buttercream. Decorate with sprinkles and hearts.

Notes

Adapted from here

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

OR Enter HERE: https://promosimple.com/ps/8336

Giveaway is sponsored by KitchenAid. Ends October, 11 2015 at midnight. One winner will be selected at random.

The post Pink Lemonade Cupcakes appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Now that Christmas is well behind us, it’s time to start thinking of the New Year. But before we start going crazy with the resolutions and/or intentions, let’s take a minute to ring in 2015 in style. Which for me really is cuddling the hubby on the couch and eating some sort of dessert as Ryan Seacreast declares it a New Year. Lame? Meh, that’s my classy style!! And I have pink champagne cupcakes to go along with it 🙂

New Year’s Eve is one of those holidays that I think forces people to be something they are not. It seems as if everyone thinks they have to go out on the town or partying till the wee-hours of the morning. But that’s so 5 years ago and now I would rather stay in my jammies and rock out with some bubbly and cupcakes or better yet, a bubbly cupcake!

These cupcakes are my New Year’s Eve dessert of choice this year as I think there is no better way to welcome 2015 than with a moist pink champagne cupcake filled with a creamy champagne pastry creme and topped with a sweet champagne frosting! It’s seriously a bubbly cupcake.

Print

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Pretty pink champagne cupcakes filled with a creamy pastry creme and topped with a sweet champagne frosting. 

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 54 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

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• 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup Pink Champagne
• Pink gel coloring (optional)

For the Filling:

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• ½ cup heavy cream, divided
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup Pink Champagne
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

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• 1/2 cup pink Champagne
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2½ cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. In a medium mixing cup, whisk together Greek yogurt and champagne.
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and champagne mixture, beginning and ending with flour, mixing after each addition. Beat until just combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the gel coloring if using.
5. Divide batter into cupcake wrappers. Fill liners about ⅔ full. Bake cupcakes until lightly golden or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes.
6. Remove cupcakes from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the Creme filling:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup heavy cream and cornstarch. Combine the rest of the heavy cream, champagne and granulated sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and remove from heat. Whisk the egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture. Pour a ⅓ cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to not overcook the eggs. Return the saucepan to the stove and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the egg mixture until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract.
2. Once cupcakes are cooled, cut a hole in the middle and fill with the creme filling.

For the Champagne frosting:

1. Heat champagne in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat until it reduces to 2 tablespoons. Let cool completely before using.
2. Whip butter on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase speed to medium and mix for 6 minutes until the frosting is very light, creamy and fluffy. Pour the champagne down the side of the bowl and beat for another minute.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting and garnish with sparkling sugar if desired.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

If you are staying in or going to a house party this New Year’s Eve, please make these cupcakes!! They will make your night and will be a hit!

The post Pink Champagne Cupcakes appeared first on A Classic Twist.