Top 10 List: Favorite Cupcake Recipes
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Cupcakes have taken on a life of their own over the last five years or so. Chic little shops have popped up everywhere, there are numerous TV shows based on the handheld confections, and the flavor combinations seem endless. Aside from one cupcake shop (Baked & Wired in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC), I have yet to be blown away by any cupcake from any of those chic little shops. Most times I find the cupcakes to be rather dry and the frosting just okay. And the prices? Holy insanity! So, I revel in making cupcakes at home. All kinds of cupcakes, – chocolate, vanilla, pumpkin, red velvet, boozy, it’s all fair game. (Psst, 4 of the 10 cupcakes on this list have liquor in them!) For this next installment of the top 10 list extravaganza, my favorite cupcake recipes! Enjoy!
1. Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream
2. Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
6. Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting
7. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
8. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
10. Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
What’s your favorite cupcake ??
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They all look wonderful but I really want to try the Irish Car Bombs..anything w/ choc and bailey’s is an automatic winner!
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I love your red velvet cupcakes recipe and the tiramisu are also my favorites!. From other blogs I love Annie’s Eats “Triple Chocolate Cupcakes”
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all your cupcakes look fabulous but, the mocha cupcakes are calling me! love the contrast of cake to frosting!
quick q: do you ever use non-stick baking spray inside the liners?
i am always concerned about the baked cupcakes sticking to the liners…but, i do not like the “greasy” appearance when sprayed.
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Michelle on May 23rd, 2011 at 9:00 am
Hi Linda, I never spray the pan for cupcakes, I always use liners. I just think they’re easier/less messy (plus cuter!) to pick up and eat with liners. I do sometimes just spray and omit the liners for muffins though.
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This just reminded me that I don’t make cupcakes often enough! So many delicious variations to choose from:-)
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I’ve made the tiramisu ones and they are out of this world! I’m looking forward to trying the margarita ones this summer-they look perfect for an outdoor BBQ!
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Oooh chocolate with peanut butter icing sounds amazing!
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I can vouch for the deliciousness of your chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and red velvet! I’ve made both, to rave reviews. I really want to try the tiramisu ones!
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it’s nuts to me that Baked and Wired is virtually unknown, but two blocks away another cupcake shop has a tv show and lines out the door. as far as i can tell they only won the popularity contest because they’re on the main street, NOT because their cupcakes are better.
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I love me some cupcake roundups. Love this post! Those Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes look particularly tantalizing…they’ve been added to my baking bucket list.
My favorite cupcake? That’s a toughie. But I’m going to have to go with carrot cupcakes. With ginger-cream cheese frosting. mmmm!
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I always have cupcakes on the brain. I especially like any that have cookies or candy in the batter. I’m making chocolate salted caramel cupcakes for a party this week and I know just from the name that I will love them. Also, cupcakes that have a filling piped in…yum.
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I think I’ll have one of each! It would be a hard call to pick a favorite,I love so many different varieties and yours all lookincredible! I guess if you twisted my arm I would say my favorite is a vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling and buttercream icing with a touch of almond extract and vanilla beans, okay I did it!
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This is awful, but I’m a sucker for a good funfetti cupcake with rainbow chip frosting . . . *hangs head in foodie shame*
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samantha on December 12th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
I understand. I call them ghetto cupcakes. I can make these wonderful creations, but for some reason those still still are wonderful to me…
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Wow, not even sure which ones I would choose first! They all look so delicious!
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My absolute favorite are these that I made about a month or two ago… Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes! YUMMMMMM! http://caleighskitchen.com/categories/Desserts.aspx
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I’ve made your mocha cupcakes with espresso frosting….oh-my-goodness-amayzingness!!! I seriously could eat the frosting a la carte!
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I’ll take one of each please! They all look so delicious!
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I don’t bake cupcakes enough. I need to try all of these!
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The tiramisu cupcakes are gorgeous! My favorite cupcake that I’ve made is probably red velvet with cream cheese frosting
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You could open your own chic little cupcake boutique with these darlings! I was wowed the first time you posted your margarita cupcake! I haven’t done much cupcake baking before, but this list is inspiring!
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That’s a fun list! It’s a toss up for my fav depending on the day – spice or white, both with vanilla frosting. Mmm mmm.
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Have you ever tried Georgetown Cupcakes? They have 2 locations–1 in Georgetown (Washington D.C.) and one in Bethesda, Maryland. I’ve only been to the one in Bethesda.
They.are.AMAZING.period. The BEST cupcake I’ve ever devoured.
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Michelle on May 23rd, 2011 at 10:32 am
Hi Francesca, I have been to Georgetown Cupcakes (their Georgetown location), actually on the same day we went to Baked & Wired, so it made for a good comparison. I thought their cupcakes were average to good – not bad but not terribly special either. In my opinion, Baked & Wired blew them out of the water.
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Cortney on March 13th, 2013 at 10:28 am
I actually JUST went to Georgetown cupcakes last week and was so terribly underwhelmed. Expensive and just not very good. Dry and flavorless cake paired with sub par frostings. I’ve made many of your cupcake recipies and they are so much better.
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I’ve made your recipes for the mocha, red velvet and vanilla. They’re all just wonderful. Thanks for the wonderful recipes, Michelle!
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I have to make those tiramisu cupcakes. They are absolutely gorgeous and packed with some of my favorite flavors. As for the gourmet cupcake shops, I agree with you completely about the dryness of the cupcakes.
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I love cupcakes! So thanks for sharing all of these that look absolutely delicious!
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Yummy! The dark chocolate with peanut butter frosting would be my favorite ones.
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guinness chocolate cupcakes (or cake!) with whipcream/ cream cheese frosting are my all time favorite. the guinness lends a very unique, though subtle, extra something to the cake.
design sponge has the recipe i use. it’s my go-to for anyone requesting a chocolate cake!
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My favorite cupcake comes from a silver Airstream trailer on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. The place is called Hey, Cupcake! Their 24-Karat cupcake is a revelation! It’s a world-class carrot cake confection with cream cheese frosting. For a few pennies extra, they’ll put a whipped cream “shot” right down into the middle of it. Have mercy, it’s fantastic!
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Erin on August 7th, 2011 at 11:10 am
Hey Cupcake is the best! I can’t wait to try some of these recipes myself today. I love Brown Eyed Baker’s sugar cookies with royal icing. Taught me how step by step-thank you! Made the cookies for a bachelorette party this weekend that were not only cute, but everyone thought they tasted fantastic! Thanks Brown Eyed Baker!
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Your cupcake making skills are absolutely BOMB DIGGITY! How beautiful they all are! I’d have to say that my favorite would probably have to be my Annabelle Carrot Cupcakes: http://bit.ly/gOr2em They’re soooo flavorful and moist, the perfect couple of bites. Plus, they have a bittersweet story behind them.
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Plain vanilla has always been my favorite! Great selection!
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I agree with you. I haven’t had any cupcakes at all these little shops that have blown me away. Always dry.
Can’t wait to try making the dark chocolate peanut butter recipe!
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I’ll have one of each ,please! They all are beautiful!
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Hmmmmmm…which to make first? They all look and sound delightful! I think vanilla with vanilla may be first up
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OMG, I think I may have to work my way through baking all of these!
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Love the look of those Lemoncello Cupcakes. My all-time favorites are pretty basic: Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes. They get me every time…
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I’ll have one of each thank you!
They all look great especially the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes. Yum!
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The tiramisu and pumpkin are calling me!! And I totally agree with you…most specialty cupcake places aren’t worth what they charge. Much better to make them at home. Can’t wait to try these!!! Thank you!
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All your cupcakes are gorgeous, but I especially love those lemon limoncello ones. Yum!
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These all sound delicious! Especially the ones with liquor, hehe.
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I made the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes and they are AMAZING! I’m working on Almond Joy and Samoa ones as well…
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Your cupcake recipes are always awesome! I was wondering though, have you ever tried putting heavy cream into the icing to make it fluffier? If so, how did it work out and how would it correspond with your existing buttercream icing recipes?
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Michelle on May 25th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Hi Kelly, Yes, I have used heavy cream in my peanut butter frosting as well as a vanilla buttercream. It makes it silky smooth! You could add it a tablespoon at a time and see how you like it!
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I completely agree with you about the cupcake shops. It did not surprise me to see “Dozen” close its doors — I could not believe how dry the cake was, and thought the same thing you did — mine taste so much better!
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I have seen those gals on Foodnetwork put the hot cupcakes in the fridge to cool them off faster. My mother always told me the cakes get dried out doing that. Could that be why these professional bakeries are getting dry cupcakes?
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Michelle on October 10th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Laura – That might be it! I never refrigerate baked goods either for that exact reason. I didn’t know “pro” folks were doing it!
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Pat G on March 2nd, 2013 at 1:39 pm
When I bake cakes for decorating I always put the cake directly into the freezer after removing from pan. I remove the cake the next day and skim coat with icing while frozen to reduce crumbs mixing with icing. My cakes are super moist and I believe it is from freezing them while still warm. Perhaps if cakes or cupcakes were in the freezer for more than 2 days they might become dry? I wait until the cake completely cools in freezer before wrapping with plastic wrap and foil. My favorite cake recipe ever is a banana cake that I found on allrecipes.com which is baked at 275 degrees and directions say to freeze cake right from the oven. It is delicious!
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Michelle on March 3rd, 2013 at 10:34 pm
Hi Pat, Thanks so much for sharing, I am going to give this trick a try the next time I make a cake!
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Michele – Your blog is just wonderful! I just noticed all the pumpkin recipes! Also, I am waiting for my ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid from Amazon any day now. My college kids and their friends will think I am the bomb. Thanks so much for sharing so many good things!
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These cupcakes look so good. They were perfect because they were just what I was looking for. The Pumpkin ones looked so cute, and perfect for fall. Especially if you put them on a candy-corn platter.
All I can say is Mmmm!
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Oh, and by the way do you have any tricks to make cupcakes extra moist, but not watery? Thank you so much!
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Michelle on October 16th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Hi Marissa, No tricks really, but I think you’ll find that all the recipes here stay very moist. I do make sure to store them at room temperature in an airtight container, which helps retain moisture.
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Wow! These all look delicious! My personal favorite is red velvet. A few weeks ago, I made some amazing red velvet cupcakes for a party. Someone said that they were comparable to D.C. Cupcakes! Although they were really flat and ugly without the icing, my daughters made some chocolate toppings to go with the cream cheese frosting. They were really good. I think I will have to experiment with the dark chocolate cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting! They look great and addicting!
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this is something magnificent i might have to right about it on my blog p.s. im dying to try those chocolate peanut butter frosting cupcakes p.p.s. can you upload a recipe for veal pasta soup
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Michelle on November 22nd, 2012 at 8:37 am
Thank you! I’ve never made (or eaten) veal pasta soup, but if you have a recipe you’d like to share, please send it along!
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The name ‘Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes’ is bigoted and highly offensive.
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Oh wow, these all look amazing! I am so going to have to go shopping tomorrow and experiment!
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I’ve tried the peanut butter, banana & coffee espresso from your recipes. Its Niiice & really Thank You for sharing it. But i did a bit modification therefore the cake become softer & not cracking. I shared few of my cupcake recipe & photos in facebook for my friends…..LoL
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I love your Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! Its amazing and easy to make too. I wonder if ground cloves perform some magic to the taste. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
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Wow these are among the most delicious cupcakes I have seen so far online. Did you know that with a few modifications you can make them glow in the dark? It would be a hit on your next party! Anyway it is just an idea I came across.
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I would say, from a 14 year old’s point of view, a mocha cupcake with a milk chocolate chunk melted in the middle with vanilla butter frosting. Yum! they are so good! :3
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Wow. The list is so good and i like cup cakes.
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First of all I want to say fantastic blog!
I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I have had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Kudos!
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Michelle on March 28th, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Thank you! Truly, it just all depends on my frame of mind. Sometimes the words come naturally and sometimes it’s more of a struggle, but I don’t do anything intentional before I start writing. Best of luck to you!
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Mocha…. Well lets just say its so delicious I plan on making it all the time day in and day out
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Hi! You make such fabulous cupcakes! I can’t wait to try out all of them! I’ve got a problem with the cupcake casings going loose from the cupcake. Have you ever had such a problem? What am I doing wrong or not doing?
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Michelle on April 28th, 2013 at 11:47 pm
Hi Karen, I’ve heard from other folks about similar problems, although I’ve never had an issue with it. Make sure you don’t use wax-lined cupcake liners. I’ve always used the cheap plain paper liners without a problem.
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I love these cupcakes! And, none of them are too hard to make. But how do I put filling inside a cupcake? I’ve never done it before.
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Michelle on May 2nd, 2013 at 10:37 am
Hi Willow, You can do it a few different ways; usually I either cut a little hole in the middle and put the filling in, or I push a decorating tip into the middle and pipe the filling in. Each recipe will have instructions on how to do it.
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woooow!
hope someday i’ll have a cupcake home.
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I am disgusted that you think it is appropriate to call a cupcake an Irish car bomb. Nearly 3,000 people were killed by terrorists during the troubles and yes a car bomb is a device used by terrorists. Rename your recipe and show some decency and respect for the people of Ireland. But most of all don’t trivialize terrorism!
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As somebody who lost a cousin in the Birmingham (UK) bombings, bombs planted by Irish nationalists, I sincerely you never experience the pain, tears and loss our family endured. Next time you think to name a cake recipe – A CAKE RECIPE – after a terrorist device devised solely to kill and maim innocent people, I hope you’ve grown up a little and think again.
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I tried making the Lemon-Limocello cupcakes and they rocked my family! They loved them and are always asking for more! I wanted to try fillling it with raspberry instead of lemon…would this work the same? thanks!
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Michelle on June 17th, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Hi Kylie, I’ve honestly never tried making lemon curd with any other type of fruit. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
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