Double Cupcake Box and Sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, my lovely friends! I hope you're smiling lots today. :o)

I have a couple of happy things to share with you! I used my Gypsy for the first time and I LOVE IT. It's amazing, just like you all have said. :o) Well before I had one in my possession, I knew what my first project needed to be. It *had* to be one of those super cute cupcake boxes I've stared at countless times. During my search for any information I might need since I'm a Gypsy newbie, I stumbled upon something even better than that beloved cupcake box. A DOUBLE cupcake box. Why hadn't I thought of that?! Two for a sweet couple, best friends, or if you simply want to gift yourself one for each hand. ;)

I followed a basic tutorial from Country Heart and Home, then used Elegant Edges and Classic Font for the pieces to weld and such on my Gypsy. (I feel so fancy schmancy saying that. Gypsy. I have a Gypsy.) I will be making a few alterations and tweaks next time, but this is still a great base to begin from and I'm so thankful I came across it. :o)

I went with a pink, green, and white color scheme not only because it's naturally gorgeous, but also because a coordinating birthday card was going to be made for the Birthday Sundaes challenge. Alas, the deadline is too soon for the super sweet matching card to be completed. (Can I get an extension and make it Birthday Mondays, just this once?) I had SUCH fun with my first Gypsy project! I used some fun pom-pom ribbon because it's so celebratory and smile-inducing. Plus the poms look cute against the polka dot paper! Not shown all that well is my Core Couture cardstock. The green beneath the ribbon and the green butterfly are sparkly. The white butterfly is opalescent due to the Gemstone cardstock. The little tag is embossed and stamped with a sweet sentiment because everything I bake is jam-packed with love. (The ink is shimmery!) The view from above shows the reason I adore double-sided paper. Such a pretty, festive coordinating interior. I hope you like it as much as I do. :o)

Challenge entered:

My Craft Spot~ Gift bags and boxes

Did you notice the gorgeous contents of that box? I assure you they taste even better than they look. I just ate one to give me energy to post the recipe. ;) Sweet Saturday this week is all about chocolate, cherries, and vanilla-flavored freshly whipped cream... and it just may have made me my dad's hero. Black Forest Cupcakes, I love you.

SO pretty and equally fun to bake. Guess what? There's a surprise inside. The only cherry in Black Forest Cupcakes can't be on top... instead, the centers of the moist, deep chocolate cakes are filled with a delicious cherry filling. (This picture is a baking-at-4am phone camera image... forgive the blur.) ;)

After cutting off the bottom of the removed cones (and maybe sampling a couple of them), I replaced the tops to cover the filling and then piped the whipped cream. I had such a blast with these last night and I hope you'll make them sometime, too! :o)

Have a sparkling weekend, my crafty friends! Thank you for stopping by. I am so blessed! I wish I could give you all a cupcake.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Yield: Approximately 22 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ cup hot water

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

⅔ cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the cherry filling:

16 ounces frozen cherries, thawed*

⅓ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon kirsch (optional)

For the frosting:

1½ cups heavy cream, chilled

6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For garnish:

Fresh (or maraschino) cherries, with stems

Chocolate shavings

*Note: You can use either tart or sweet cherries for this filling depending on your personal tastes and what is available to you. Feel free to adjust the sugar as needed to achieve your desired level of sweetness or tartness in the filling. I used tart cherries and the amount of sugar indicated.

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350º F. Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, followed by the cocoa mixture, and beat until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, drain the thawed cherries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture beings to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained cherries with a spatula. Stir in the kirsch, if using. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills.)

To fill the cupcakes, use the cone method to remove a portion from the center of each cupcake. Fill each with a spoonful of the cherry filling.

To make the whipped cream frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating on medium-low speed, slowly increasing as the cream begins to thicken up to medium-high speed. While the cream is being whipped, gradually add in the confectioners' sugar a spoonful at a time. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to overbeat!) Fold in the vanilla extract.

Frost the filled cupcakes with the whipped cream. Garnish as desired with cherries and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Annie's Eats

Key Recipe Components (for double cupcake box):
 * Cricut cartridges: Classic Font, Elegant Edges
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: Swiss Dots
 * Paper~ Core'dinations, Heidi Grace
 * Stamp~ Studio G
 * Punches~ Martha Stewart small monarch, heart punch from stash
 * Ribbon~ American Crafts
 * Buttons~ My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie
 * Twine~ Sew Easy (limeade)
 * Miscellaenous~ Dew Drop Brilliance