Magnolia Cupcakes

When my husband and I were invited to our little cousin's 3rd birthday party last week, I knew it would be the perfect time to try out that famous Magnolia cupcake recipe that everyone talks about! Although they were a huge hit with everyone, in my opinion (having had the real thing) they were OK...nothing to flip over!

Magnolia Cupcakes

from: The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

CUPCAKES:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

VANILLA ICING

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Raspberry Crumb Cake

Wahhhoooo for me!!!! I recently left a job that I was at for almost 10 years this past December. Tough decision, but it had to be done. Starting a new one though was even tougher! It had been a long time since I was "The New Girl." Oh my god! Was I going to fit in? What would they think of me? What if I had nothing in common with anyone? I had formed such a close bond with some of my former co-workers, most of whom I consider very close friends, and was terrified that I wasn't going to "connect" as well with my new colleagues. Boy was I totally wrong. I was welcome with open arms from the first moment I stepped foot into the office. We hit it off instantly! A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders...two weeks of anxiety gone!

Of course one thing we all bonded over the most was food. I went from one office of four of us talking food & recipes all day, to an office of over ten of us who love food just as much. I fit in like a glove. We take every opportunity we can to celebrate something, whether it's a birthday, holiday or snow day...food is everywhere! There goes that elliptical my husband and I bought after the holidays.

Which brings me to this recipe. While celebrating an office birthday, a fellow co-worker made the most delicious crumb cake I had ever had. Moist, crumbly, buttery with the perfect amount of raspberry...holy lord I had to have the recipe. I even brought a piece home to my husband to try. His eyes crossed when he took his first bite, and with not many bites after because he managed to gobble it down in less than 4.

The next day I was given the recipe, and to my surprise, it used a boxed mix as the base. I'm more of a "from scratch" kind of gal. This totally goes against everything I believe in and had I not tried it for myself, I probably never would have given this cake a chance. Yes! "Doctored" boxed cake mix CAN produce tasty desserts! Who knew?

For the Cake:

1 boxed vanilla cake mix prepared according to package

Crumbs:

(if you like more crumbs, this crumb recipe easily doubles)

1-1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1 cup butter

Filling:

Seedless raspberry jam ( I like to use the one that comes in a squeezable bottle, it's easier to spread.)

Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to directions on the box and bake for 20 min.

Mix all the ingredients together until crumbs form. If the mixture does not hold well together add a bit more butter!

Take your cake out after baking for 20 min. and squeeze about 10-12 ounces of the jam on the partially baked cake. Let it sit for about a minute while the jam warms through, then spread the jam evenly on the cake. Top with the crumb mixture and continue to bake an additional 20 minutes. Once completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.