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Pook's Pantry Recipe Blog

A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett

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Blueberry Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

April 18, 2020

Blueberry bundt cake is the kind of cake I serve guests. It’s easy, delicious and not fussy at all. It is perfect for beginner bakers as well as more experienced bakers. Buttermilk bundt cakes, like this one and also this chocolate bundt have great flavor.

Making a cake from scratch is barely more work than making it from a box and you will be rewarded with something so good, you’ll be glad you put in the extra few minutes of time. The glaze is made with three ingredients and takes less than a minute to make.

blueberry bundt cake

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, blueberry, blueberry buttermilk bundt cake, blueberry pound cake, bundt, buttermilk, cake, cooking, Dessert, easy recipe, Food, fruit, how to, recipes

Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

April 14, 2020

This chocolate bundt cake recipe is made with buttermilk, making it a delicious and moist cake. Perfect as is, but made even better with a dark chocolate ganache. A bit of espresso powder really brings out the chocolate flavor, making this cake the perfect chocolate bundt.

slice of chocolate bundt cake

I love adding buttermilk to bundt cakes. It gives them a nice tanginess and flavor, like this blueberry bundt cake that I make every spring.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, buttermilk, cake, Chocolate, chocolate bundt cake, chocolate bundt cake recipe, chocolate buttermilk bundt cake, Dessert, easy recipe, Food, how to, recipes

Gluten Free Clementine Cake Recipe

December 14, 2019

This clementine cake is gluten free, made in the food processor and comes out of the pan like a dream. It couldn’t be easier and it is deliciously moist. The smell of clementines cooking fills the house with a bright, citrusy aroma, which is wonderful this time of the year. Another holiday treat we love right now are these gluten free rum balls.

clementine cake with glaze on cake stand

Clementine Cake

When the mercury drops and you are puttering around the house, this is the perfect baking endeavor.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: almond, baking, cake, Christmas, Dessert, easy recipe, Food, fruit, gluten free, gluten free desserts, holidays, how to, recipes

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Loaf Recipe

December 2, 2019

Gingerbread is one of the classic flavors of the holiday season. An old fashioned gingerbread loaf is a perfect dessert to have on hand when friends and family come to visit. For me, anything gingerbread is welcome and this classic gingerbread cake is something I bake every year and it goes perfectly with a strong cup of tea.

I made a maple bourbon glaze to coat the gingerbread, which really complements the spices used. You can swap bourbon for a splash of milk to keep the glaze kid-friendly, if you’ll be serving it to the whole family.
old fashioned gingerbread loaf

The combination of spices that make up gingerbread are the flavors of Christmas. There is something about the blend of cloves, ginger, cinnamon and molasses that fills the house with a warm cozy feeling like nothing else can. These gingerbread biscotti are quickly becoming a new favorite in our house for that reason and also because they are delicious dipped into strong coffee.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, cake, Christmas, Dessert, easy gingerbread loaf, easy recipe, Food, gingerbread, gingerbread loaf, glazed gingerbread loaf, holidays, how to, iced gingerbread loaf, old fashioned gingerbread loaf, quick bread, recipes, vegetarian

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

October 8, 2019

Cranberry upside down cake is a perfectly tart and sweet dessert for the fall and winter. This cake recipe is a variation of my easy clementine upside down cake. I’ve swapped out the buttermilk for regular milk, because we don’t always have buttermilk on hand. This upside down cake is studded with fresh cranberries and it makes a delicious addition to your holiday dessert table.slice of cranberry upside down cake on stacked white plates with cake in background

What I like most about this cake is the lack of sweetness. That’s not to say it isn’t sweet, it is, but it isn’t overly sweet. The tartness of the cranberries combined with the hefty amount of orange zest offsets the sugar. It is nicely balanced with a cake batter that is just barely sweet. And, it’s great with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, in case you were wondering.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, cake, Christmas, cranberry, cranberry orange, cranberry upside down cake, Dessert, easy recipe, fall, Food, fruit, holidays, how to, orange, orange upside down cake, recipes, upside down cake

The Original Veggie Cakes Recipe

May 29, 2019

Crispy, easy veggie cakes are made with grated vegetables – carrots, zucchini, broccoli and corn for a touch of sweetness. Vegetarian recipes don’t have to be bland or boring and this reader favorite is proof.

stack of veggie cakes with black background

Savoury veggie patties are a tasty way to get more vegetables into your diet, especially if you have picky eaters. They’re great for lunches, meal prep or a side dish for dinner.

These fluffy and easy vegetable cakes are cooked on the stovetop, but can be baked in the oven for an even healthier option.

Watch the video for step by step instructions or check out this post on How to Make Veggie Cakes for helpful tips on making your own vegetable cakes from scratch.

Post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

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Filed Under: Vegetable Tagged With: broccoli, cake, carrots, cooking, corn, dinner, dinner ideas, easy recipe, egg, Food, fritter, hors d'oeuvre, meal prep, meatless Monday, Vegetable, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

How to make Blueberry Crumb Cake

May 14, 2019

https://www.pookspantry.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Blueberry-Crumb-Cake-2.mp4

Blueberry Crumb Cake is one of my favorite afternoon treats. Rich and buttery with a thick crumb topping, this coffee cake is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea. Quick and easy, this blueberry crumb cake recipe is great for every level of baker, even beginners.

slice of crumb cake on china plate with blueberries

Blueberry Crumb Cake

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: #nationalblueberrymonth, baking, blueberry, butter, cake, coffee cake, cooking, crumb, crumb cake, fruit, july, pookspantry, Summer

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

March 31, 2019

Strawberry cream cheese icing made with fresh strawberries is an intensely strawberry-flavored, fluffy icing. This icing is perfect for topping cupcakes, cookies, pound cakes or even muffins. Fresh strawberry purée is added to a cream cheese frosting base to create a soft icing. If you are looking for a frosting that you can pipe into tall swirls, try my strawberry cream cheese frosting.

bowl of strawberry cream cheese icing

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

 

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, cake, Cupcakes, Dessert, easy recipe, Food, gluten free, how to, icing, recipes, strawberry, strawberry cream cheese frosting, strawberry cream cheese icing

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream

March 2, 2019

Deep, dark devil’s food cupcakes with mint buttercream are the perfect treat for those who love the combination of chocolate and mint. These cupcakes, along with sweet Irish soda bread are my favorites for St. Patrick’s Day. Shaved chocolate mint candies are the perfect garnish for these tasty cupcakes.

devil's food cupcakes with creme de menthe buttercream on marble counter

American buttercream made with crème de menthe makes this an adults-only cupcake, but there is a non-alcoholic version to make it kid-friendly!

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

Devil’s Food cupcakes

I’ve made thousands of chocolate cupcakes in my lifetime, as I’m sure some of you have as well. You wait with anticipation for that dark chocolatey goodness only to find it falls short of being really chocolatey.

Does this sound familiar? That really takes the wind out of my sails.

If I’m promised a devil’s food cupcake, call me crazy, I want a super chocolatey cupcake. 

After many versions, I’ve finally landed on a solid recipe for a devil’s food cupcake that doesn’t leave me feeling like it didn’t quite hit the mark.

mint buttercream in mixing bowl with pastry bag for devil's food cupcakes

Chocolate mint cupcakes

When my brother and I were younger, we had a next door neighbor that would bring us a box of Andes candy to share. 

You would have thought he gave us each a $100 bill we were so excited… as we got older, sometimes we each got our OWN box. Now that was newsworthy.

Opening the box and seeing all of those perfectly lined up little rectangles of foil would make me giddy.

devils food cupcakes with green buttercream

I had to take extra care not to rip it, so as to put the box back inside once we had removed a few… then there was the issue of counting them out to assure that the treasure was evenly divided.

I can still remember that feeling of unwrapping the first one and letting the cool combination of mint and chocolate settle on my tongue as it slowly began to soften and melt. 

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Crème de Menthe

The inspiration for these cupcakes comes from the “something green” for St. Patrick’s Day. Rewind twenty plus years and you would have found me having a green beer to celebrate, but these days, you wouldn’t catch me within a ten mile radius of those places.

A dozen years ago, you’d have found me at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan. But, I no longer live in New York, so I figured making a grown up cupcake was a perfectly good way to have fun with this holiday.

I’ve outgrown green beer and all of that silliness, but I still like to partake in the green on St. Patty’s Day. So, I’ve added a bit of green crème de menthe to this super simple American buttercream. 

If you would rather make it without the alcohol, there is a note in the recipe for doing just that. A couple of swaps and you have basically the same frosting without the alcohol.

How to Make Chocolate Curls for Garnish

This is a really easy thing to make that looks a bit posh. Get the rectangles of chocolate mint candies and stash them in the fridge. 

Using a vegetable peeler, gently pull the peeler toward you along the longest side of the candy. The lighter you press, the thinner it will be and it will curl a bit easier. If you press harder, the curl will be thicker and not quite as curly.

You want the candy to be cool but not very cold. If it is too cold, it will be brittle and it’ll break into shards, which is also fun. 

After a few candies, you will quickly find your sweet spot and what you like best.  You’ll see what I mean when you make them. 

It is very easy to do, it just takes patience. If the candy breaks, just eat it and grab another piece. No one will be the wiser.

I really hope you love this recipe. If you make it, snap a pic and share it with me either in the Fabulous Foodie Friends Facebook group or on Instagram by tagging @pookspantry and using hashtag #pookspantry.

Here are a few more of our favorite cupcake recipes:

  • Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Apple Cider Buttercream
  • Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
  • Halloween Day of the Dead Chocolate Cupcakes

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Yield: 36 cupcakes

Devils Food Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream

devil's food cupcakes with creme de menthe buttercream on marble counter

Devil's food cupcakes with american buttercream flavored with crème de menthe for a 21+ treat

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 31 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder, dark
  • 3/4 cup water, hot
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, large
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract, I prefer Nielsen-Massey

For the Buttercream

  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted, room temp
  • 4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
  • 2 lbs powdered sugar, 2 boxes
  • 1/4 cup green Creme de Menthe
  • *pinch kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line cupcake pans with papers.   
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa and hot water together until smooth.  
  3. Let cool slightly, then whisk in sour cream and melted chocolate until combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  5. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.  
  6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Beat in vanilla.  
  7. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined.
  8. Using a scoop (I used a size 20 scoop - 1 5/8 oz) divide batter evenly into cupcake liners.  Bake for 16 - 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  9. Let cool completely  before frosting.

Mint Buttercream

  1. Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together on low speed for one minute until combined, then at high for another 3 - 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Transfer into piping bag fitted with star tip & pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish with shaved creme de menthe candy

Notes

To make this recipe kid-friendly, omit the creme de menthe and replace with a drop of green food coloring and a teaspoon of peppermint extract.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • KitchenAid 7-Speed Digital Hand Mixer 
    KitchenAid 7-Speed Digital Hand Mixer 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 cupcake

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Saturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© pook
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe without prior written permission. Thank you!

The recipe and photos have been updated from the original publish date of 03/13/13

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: alcohol, baking, buttercream, cake, Chocolate, cupcake, Dessert, devil's food, easy recipe, Food, how to, mint, recipes

Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Ganache

February 5, 2019

Dark chocolate cake is a favorite for many people. Top it with a red wine chocolate ganache and now that dessert just got an upgrade to the nth degree. Rich, decadent chocolate cake topped with melted chocolate spiked with your favorite red wine makes the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day.

heart-shaped dark chocolate on white plate cake

Dark Chocolate Cake

This Dark Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Ganache recipe is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Pook’s Pantry. As always, all opinions, recipes and photos are my own. Post contains affiliate links, please see disclosure for info.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, cake, Chocolate, cooking, Dessert, easy recipe, Food, ganache, holidays, how to, recipes, Valentine's Day, vegetarian

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Hi there and thanks for stopping by!  I'm Cheryl, Chef by day and Blogger by night!

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