We will be creeping into November pretty soon, but before Halloween, I want to sneak in another harvest time recipe. Harvest is a festive time of the year and earthy colors like green and orange like the fall leaves are fun to be playful with in décor and food.
I have Harvest Time Cupcakes that are basically mini chocolate cupcakes reflecting the color of earth and tree trunks with buttercream frosting in the color of fall leaves. The best part of this recipe is that the cupcake recipe is a one bowl chocolate cupcake recipe. So, it’s easy to make and fun to decorate.
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Gel-paste food coloring
Sprinkles in festive fall theme (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
- Sift cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 10 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
- Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth.
- Reserve 1 cup frosting in a bowl. Divide remaining frosting among several bowls.
- Dab a rubber spatula against a tiny drop of gel-paste coloring, and mix into a bowl of frosting. Add more, drop by drop, to reach desired color. Repeat with remaining frosting with your desired colors. If frosting is too dark, mix in some reserved white frosting.
- Frost cupcakes with tinted buttercream.
- Add sprinkles to the top of each cupcake (optional)
