Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting using a pastry bag. Garnish with champagne-colored pearlized sprinkles.
Black Forest Cupcakes
A rich chocolate cupcake with cherry filling and vanilla cream frosting.
1⅓ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Fill paper liners until two-thirds full. Bake 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely. Makes 12.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
½ cup salted butter, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 can cherry pie filling
Chocolate shavings
12 fresh cherries with stems
In large bowl, cream butter and vanilla. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed and adding milk as needed. Scrape sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Makes 3 cups of icing. Using a melon baller, scoop out the center of the cooled cupcakes no more than halfway down. Spoon in the cherry pie filling. Using a pastry bag, pipe the vanilla cream over the tops of the cupcakes. Garnish each with chocolate shavings and a fresh cherry on top.
Lemon-Lavender Cupcakes
A tart lemon cupcake with sweet lavender frosting.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup grated lemon zest (6–8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. Cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Fill paper liners until two-thirds full. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 24.
Lavender Frosting
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 drop purple food coloring
3–4 tablespoons milk
Fresh lavender
In large bowl, cream butter. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Add dried lavender, vanilla, and a drop of purple food coloring, mixing well. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Spread lavender frosting on cooled cupcakes and garnish with a fresh lavender sprig.
Bourbon Cupcakes
Rich chocolate bourbon cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting with bourbon glaze.
1½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup bourbon
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time. Mix in the bourbon. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Fill paper liners until two-thirds full. Bake 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely. Makes 12.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
½ cup salted butter, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk
In large bowl, cream butter and vanilla. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Add milk as needed. Scrape sides of bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Makes 3 cups of icing. Use a pastry bag to pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Bourbon Glaze
Glaze should be prepared ahead of time to allow it enough time to cool before adding to cupcakes.
¾ cup bourbon
½ cup brown sugar
In a small sauce pot over medium heat, whisk bourbon and sugar together. Simmer the mixture until it is reduced to half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely. Drizzle over the frosted cupcakes.
Dear Reader,
If you’ve read my books, you’ll know several things about me right away. I love animals, cupcakes, happy endings, and most of all, I love to laugh. When I approached my publisher about trying my hand at writing a contemporary romance series, they were naturally wary. I mean, they knew I was pretty good at killing people (fictionally), but could I really write about two people falling in love?
Here’s one more little-known fact about me: I love a challenge. The surest way to get me to do something is to tell me that I can’t. Thankfully, my publisher didn’t do that. In fact, they encouraged my desire to try something new and so the Bluff Point series began. What is this contemporary romance series I speak of? Well, it’s about going home, lifelong friends, dogs, cats, belly laughs, shenanigans, and falling unexpectedly in love.
In Every Dog Has His Day, I got to spend time with one of my most favorite characters to date, Zachary Caine. Zach is everyone’s best friend. He’s the big kid in the group, the goofball, the funny guy, but also the one you can count on when the chips are down. Zach doesn’t believe happy ever after is in the cards for him. He put it out there once and got royally burned. So he’s good with being everyone’s pal, the fifth wheel, an extra.
That is, until his
