Its Party Time with Red Velvet Cupcakes!


     Happy Birthday!  It has been one year  since I published my first blog post so we had a party. Not because it was a milestone for Just Crumbs... but for other reasons. The party was a success. There was a lot of food and lots of cupcakes. Lets just say catering for 300+  people with minimal help (a BIG THANK-YOU to my Mom and Nona N) is an ENORMOUS amount of work.
     "Summer Blueberry Pie" was the first post on the site. We were just reminiscing about that pie at the party. I am getting the urge to make it again real soon. I recommend that you check out the post and make it sometime in your near future.



     Back to the party. Our menu consisted of Sloppy Joes, Pit Style BBQ Chicken, Spicy Molasses Baked  Beans,  Mrs. Ellis' Pasta Salad (no Mrs. Ellis didn't make it, but I always think of her when I make pasta salad), Layered Taco Dip, Vegetable/Relish Tray with Creamy Garlic Paprika Ranch Dip, and Pizza. All were good, but lets move on to the dessert...Red Velvet Cupcakes with Marshmallow Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.



     These cupcakes are a bright vivid red and so beautiful. The taste is soft and tangy with a essence of chocolate floating the background. I am personally a big fan of these cupcakes, and have been since I was little. The red cake with white frosting stands out in big way, not to mention the taste.  Try these for yourself and let me know what you think.  




RED VELVET CUPCAKES

2 c. sugar
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. Nestle Quik powder
2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. In a small bowl mix cocoa powder, Nestle Quik, and red food coloring together. Add to the butter and sugar. Mix until combined. Add in the vanilla. In a large bowl sift together salt and flour. Alternate adding flour mix and buttermilk to the butter and sugar mixture. In another small bowl mix together baking soda and vinegar (it will fizz) and fold into the batter.
Scoop into foil lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Marshmallow Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 c. marshmallows, melted
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 c. shredded coconut

Mix the cream cheese and butter. Add in the marshmallow and powder sugar until blended. Fold in the coconut. Spread on cool cupcakes. 

Homemade Mayo


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Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake



 Who doesn't like chocolate? Who doesn't like peanut butter? Who doesn't like cake? I feel sorry for those who answered "ME" to any of those questions. I had seen a post by Foodies @ Home back in the fall and knew it was on my "to do" list. I tried it. I liked it. AND I want to make it again. It was a decadent blend of flavors. Rich and sinful. It was that good!


This cake was not an easy mix together out of the box cake. It was developed. It wasn't difficult. You made a common batter, divided it in half, added chocolate to one half, and peanut butter to the other. You then swirled the two cake batters together in a Bundt pan and baked. There you have it. Two more steps than a traditional "scratch" cake. 


The original recipe called for a Salted Caramel Glaze. I made it. I glazed it. I didn't like it. I will leave it off next time. I will submit it for you and you can make the call to use it or not. I am a girl who is A-O.K. without frosting/toppings on my cakes (unless it is cheesecake ((note to self do a post on cheesecake)). Not a huge frosting lover. Just give me my cake  and I will eat it too.


My thoughts are that everyone needs a cake for their birthday. Today is my Aunt Beth's birthday, if she lived closer I would make this cake for her. I originally made it for Pa Crumbs... for his birthday. I think he liked it, wait,  I am sure he liked it, even though he didn't tell me so. He is a man of few words sometimes, but if he didn't like it he would have told me. Anyway, back to my Aunt Beth, she turned 29 today (these are her words, whether she is or not I will never know). Happy Birthday Aunt Beth! I hope your day was magnificent and delightful. 



Marbled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake

2 Cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. banking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Set your oven to 350*F and prep your bundt pan with cooking spray. Mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl (or KitchenAid if you have one) beat the butter for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar beating until fluffy, and add the eggs with one minute or so between each egg, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Next add the flour mixture alternating with the milk to the bowl until just barely combined.
Divide the batter between two different bowls. In one bowl stir in the peanut butter and in the other add the chocolate. Add the two bowls to the bundt pan, alternating between the two a little bit at a time and gently use a butter knife to create the swirl patter. Don't over-mix the two cake types!
Bake for 40-45 minutes and then let cool on a rack for another 15. Pull from the pan and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 tsp large grain sea salt

In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the sugar. Bring it to a boil and ad the cream. Once it boils again, let it boil for 2 minutes before adding the salt. Pour over your cooled bundt cake.




KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade


  
I recently had the opportunity to try KC Masterpiece's 30 minute Buffalo Marinade. I am skeptical about bottle marinades. It is easy to make your own, so why bother spending the money? Just my thoughts. KC Masterpiece sent me a bottle to try. I have been craving Buffalo wings lately and this was perfect timing. I thought about coming up with something creative or unique to do with it, but then thought against it. I wanted to give you a honest, easy, real taste of the product, so I bought some chicken leg quarters and tossed them in a bag for about an hour. Simple and easy.




When I opened the bottle I gave it a taste. It was bitey, vinegary. I really like a vinegary taste, but was unsure of the amount of tang. I proceeded to put the chicken legs in a Ziplock bag and dumped the contents of the bottle into the bag. One hour later (you only have to marinate it for 30 mins but I got busy) I removed it and baked it. It is grilling season, but being grilless for the time being is absolutely gruelling other options had to be put into play.




I pulled it out of the oven, let it rest, and made some seasoned steak and sweet potato fries as a side. Popped open an IPA and sat down to dig in. The results... surprisingly sweet. The tang and bite that was originally there had mellowed. The chicken was moist and tender. Still had a little kick. Impressive. The fries and beer were delicious too. A great meal and a craving satisfied.