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PupCake Recipe

Pumpkin Bacon Puppy Paw PupCakes/Cookies

Makes about 2 ½ dozen soft treats

  • 4 slices turkey bacon Pupcake Image
  • 1 ½ cups (375 mL) pure pumpkin purée
  • ¾ cup (175 mL) milk
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 2/3 cups (250 g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ tsp (4.5 g) baking powder
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Cook the bacon over medium high heat until crisp, flipping it over ¾ the way through cooking, about 8 minutes in total.  Drain the bacon on a paper towel, but reserve the fat in the pan if you wish to use it in the treats.

3. Add the cooked bacon to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground.  Add the pumpkin purée, milk, oil and the egg and pulse until smooth.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and pulse until the mixture is a smooth paste.

4. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip with the mixture and pipe “puppy paw” shapes onto the prepared trays.  To do this, first pipe the centre pad to each paw about 1 ½ inches (36 mm) across, and then pipe 3 smaller dots above the base, to make the toes.  If there is a point where you lift the piping bag after piping, dip your finger in a little water and dab the point with your finger to press it down. Bake the treats for about 15 minutes, until they lift easily from the tray.  Allow the treats to cool on the tray before packing in an airtight container.

The treats will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container (unrefrigerated) or they can be frozen indefinitely.

 

Cupcake Recipe

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

 

  • 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour Peppermint Cupcakes
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (60 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp (3 g) baking powder
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
  • ½ cup (125 mL) sour cream (full-fat)
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) 2% milk
  • ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) peppermint extract
  • ½ cup (65 g) milk, dark, white, or mint chocolate chips

 

For the Frosting:

 

  • ½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (195 g) icing sugar, sifted
  • ¼ cup (30 g) Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
  • 4 oz (120 g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) whipping cream
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) peppermint extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, oil, egg, and extracts.  Add this all at once to the dry mixture and then whisk by hand until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into the prepared tin evenly and bake for about 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.  Allow the cupcakes to cool on a rack, in the tin completely before frosting.

4. For the frosting, beat the butter until fluffy using electric beaters. 

Add 1 cup (130 g) of the icing sugar and beat until smooth (start on low speed and then increase to medium high to avoid an icing sugar dust storm!)  Add the cocoa powder, beat in on low speed and then add the melted chocolate, cream and extracts and beat on low speed then increasing to medium high, until light and fluffy, adding the remaining ½ cup (65 g) of icing sugar if needed. Use the frosting while at room temperature.

5. Pipe (a star tip is best) or dollop the frosting on top of each cupcake and store at room temperature.  If making and assembling more than a day ahead of serving, the cupcakes can be refrigerated, but they should be served at room temperature.

DÉCOR IDEAS

Top each cupcake with a small chocolate peppermint patty piece that has been cut in half. Or top with sprinkles or dragees (Anna suggests pink & peach pearlized gumballs she found at Bulk Barn)

Make fondant cupcake topped with puppy pawprints on them.  Roll out 200 g white fondant and use a round cookie cutter (2 ½ -3 inches) to cut out circles and place on a plate or tray.  Roll out 100 g of chocolate fondant and use smaller cutters (or the 2 ends of a large plain piping tip) to cut out 12 circles as the paw pads, and 36 smaller “toes” (3 for each pawprint).  Brush the bottom of the pads with water to adhere them to the white circles, creating pawprints.  Let air-dry for a few hours before placing on top of each cupcake.

Another option is to make royal icing and pipe the paw prints onto a peppermint patty as a “puppy topper”.