Cupcake Contest!

Its summer, so that means between my jobs I need something to do with my time (since all that school work is gone hahaha) so I have decided to enter a few baking/cooking contests.  I am thinking about doing about one per week for the duration of the summer =).  The first one that I just recently entered is a cupcake contest...the recipe had to be original and completely homemade.  After much though I decided to create some sort of mocha frappacinno type of thing...which evolved into a spiced mocha frappe cupcake with almond sweet cream frosting =)

The recipe is:
Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp allspice
1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp strong black coffee
1 tbsp espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
Frosting
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
2 tsp almond extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit , in a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients (even the sugar - although it is "technically" considered a wet ingredient do it anyway...).  Then, in a small bowl melt the butter and add the cocoa powder, coffee, espresso powder, and almond extract...whisk together until smooth.  Whisk in the milk and egg.  Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric hand mixer until combined and smooth (be careful not to over mix!)  Bake in prepared cupcake pan for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  While they are baking you can beat together the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and almond extract.  Be sure to wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them.

Ready for the oven!!

Nice and fluffy =)

Making the sweet cream frosting!

If you want to get fancy, you can make a caramel drizzle and a chocolate drizzle....making a caramel is very easy, its basically just sugar and heavy cream.

First, take about 3/4 cup granulated white sugar and put it in a saucepan over medium high heat...make sure to stir constantly...

It will very quickly melt down to this golden colored (very sticky) syrup...keep stirring!!

Slowly add heavy cream (stirring, stirring, stirring...) until desired consistency is achieved.

Immediately pour into a glass bowl and allow to cool before drizzling over the frosting (or else the frosting will melt!)

To make a chocolate drizzle just melt together chocolate chips and butter...