Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

                                                Recipe

                                               Cupcakes

                                             3/4 cup boiling water

                                                              3/4 cup cocoa powder

                                                              1 1/2 sticks butter

                                                              2 cups sugar

                                                              1 teaspoon salt

                                                              1 teaspoon vanilla

                                                              3 eggs

                                                              2 1/2 cups cake flour

                                                              1 teaspoon baking soda

                                                              1 teaspoon baking powder

                                                              1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Makes 36 cupcakes.

Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool completely before decorating.

                                                                        Frosting

                                                                       

                                                                      3 sticks butter room temp

                                                                      13 oz jar nutella

                                                                      2 teaspoon vanilla

                                                                      4 cups sifted powdered sugar

                                                                      3 tablespoons heavy cream 

             

Mix butter and nutella 2 minutes on medium, should be light and fluffy.  Add sugar 1/3 at a time mixing on low.  Add vanilla and heavy cream and beat on high for 2 minutes.. Can be stored in fridge for 2 weeks, but needs to be room temp before frosting.  If too stiff add more heavy cream, too soft, add more sugar.

Pipe using a french pastry tip.  Decorate with Piourette cookies. 

**Cupcake recipe is from Food Network, frosting recipe, I put together from various sites.

Antipasta

All my pinterest research has paid off!  I made the antipasta for Thanksgiving today and it came out amazing!  Virginia Ham, Sharp White Cheddar, Proscitto,  Genoa, Provolone, Broiled Zucchini (yum), Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil, Artichoke Hearts, black Olives and Garlic Bread.  See my Platter Board on Pinterest here.

Cream Filled Strawberries

 

Really simple to make.  I changed the recepie slightly. The original recepie is  here .   This is a basic recepie and there are probably lots of things to fill these with.  The consistency was perfect.

You will need:

Pastry Bag
Large Closed Star Tip
35 Strawberries
Instant Vanilla pudding
3/4 Cup Milk
1/4 Tsp Vanilla
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 Box Instant Vanilla Pudding



Bakers Bling on Etsy here

Wash your strawberries and cut out the stem.  With fat side of starwberry down, cut an X, cutting almost to the bottom of berry.

Using your kitchen aid or a hand mixer on high, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes.  In seperate bowl, using a whisk, beat the vanilla pudding and milk for 2 minutes.  It will stiffen really quickly!  Add the pudding mixture and the vanilla to the heavy cream, beat on medium for another 30 seconds.
Now the fun part, fill your pastry bag with all the filling, hold strawberries open with fingers and fill.
**Next time I would use strawberries that were very close in size.
***For a video on how to use a pastry bag go here

Yummy!