Cream Cheese Cupcakes with Fresh Berry Syrup

Today is April's Cake Slice Baker's cake post day.  This month the winning recipe was Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Laurra Chattman.  It makes a huge bundt cake that I was not needing.  Reconfigured my tastes and needs, 'Wa-lah!' into a Spring-y cupcake topped with Fresh Berry Syrup and whipped cream for a lush dessert.  Think of a combination between pound cake, cupcake, strawberry shortcake and cheesecake?  But. All. Good.

Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Print recipe here

1 ½ C whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
½ tsp celtic sea salt
¼ C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ C organic cane sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure almond extract
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 medium/ large lemon or 2 small lemons, zest only

1. DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN! This is a cold oven recipe. In a small bowl measure your sugar, zest the lemon and mix into the sugar with a fork. Inhale the wonderful smell and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

3. Prepare your muffin tin lining with paper cupcake liners or greasing with a little butter or oil spray.

4. In a large bowl, mix the butter, cream cheese and zested sugar with an electric mixer on a higher speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the extracts.

5. Add the flour mixture and mix into the batter in 3 separate increments on a lower speed. Once all is added, mix an additional 30 seconds.

6. Pour the batter into the cupcake cups until ¾ full. Place the pans on the lowest oven rack. Shut oven door and turn your oven onto 325 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes, remove once golden on the top. Let cool in muffin tin for 15 minutes. Place the cupcake on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

7. Serve with Fresh Berry Syrup and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.  Makes 18 cupcakes.

Fresh Berry Syrup
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3 C fresh berries- any variety you desire
½ C raw cane sugar
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Let sit until the juices of the berries come out and make a syrup.  Minimum of 1 hour.
Serve over pancakes, waffles, cupcakes, cakes, ice cream. Add to smoothies, lemonade, seltzers, teas and cocktails.   

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Gingerbread Spiced Syrup

The countdown to Christmas is less than a week!  You may just have everything on hand to make this simple type syrup spiced up like Gingerbread Cookies.  Make sure to have this out on your table for all who share this wonderful Christmas day with you.  Are you wanting more drink ideas?  Don't forget about serving this Holiday Pie Coffee Creamer and this Hot Cocoa.

Gingerbread Spiced Syrup
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2 C water
2 C raw cane sugar or 1 C pure maple syrup or 2 tsp stevia
2 inch piece fresh ginger root, sliced thin
2 whole cinnamon sticks
20 whole cloves
20 whole allspice berries
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar or equivalent. Stir in ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and peppercorns.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Let cool for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, or double layer cheesecloth. To remove the ground nutmeg. Store in glass jars.

4. Use to spice up coffee, tea, apple cider. Add a tablespoon to your favorite beverage, whipped cream or brush it on fresh muffins or cakes. Drizzle over yogurt, oatmeal or pancakes. Keep as a simple syrup to spruce up your cocktails for Christmas parties and New Years Eve.  Simply wonderful!



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  All Recipes

Sun-Ripened Peachy Vanilla Syrup

Happy 09-02-10 Day!  Beverly Hills, 90210 that is....don't act like you didn't watch it every Wednesday night throughout the entire 90's.  An hour every week throughout a whole decade of our life was spent watching this show. 
Do you remember the Peach Pit?  They would hang out there at the end of the episode and figure out their life's problems before the next commercial, but leave just enough to keep us watching of coarse.  I thought I would dedicate 09-02-10 day to the Peach Pit because when I was younger I thought that was just how life would be when I was in high school.
Even while in labor with my second child- I knew the very last episode ever was going to be on the next night...so before leaving for the hospital I was sitting there programming my VCR!  I don't think I ever even watched it when I came home, something to do with a wonderful bouncing baby boy I suppose!

For today we will make Sun-Ripened Peachy Vanilla Syrup for all the times I wished I could be sitting in the booth with Dylan at the Peach Pit!    I love this recipe because there is no peeling or dicing.  Just slice, pit and simmer.  Skins and all, how simple.  Peach skin is packed with anti-wrinkle antioxidants, potassium and Vitamin A.  All which are a very important part to wonderful skin tone, clarity and texture.  If you want skin as soft as a peach, eat peaches!

Sun-Ripened Peachy Vanilla Syrup

Print recipe here

4 pounds organic peaches- About 6 cups

1 cup water

2 cups turbinado sugar

2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Sun ripen your peaches until tender in a window or deck/ patio if you are able to. I did mine from early morning to late evening. Be careful not to over ripen!

2. Slice up your peaches (skin remaining) and place in a large size pot.

3. Add water, turbinado sugar (or any), and lemon juice.

4. Simmer over medium heat until mushy and skins begin to peel off, which takes about 20 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

6. Let cool down a little then mix immersion style or in a blender until your desired consistency. If you are “canner”, then follow your own canning instructions.

We however cannot keep it around long enough to can!
7. Serve over pancakes, cheesecake, ice cream or with a bowl and spoon.

Have a Happy 90210 Day!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  The Sisters Dish