Cream Cheese Apple Cake

Cream Cheese Apple Cake

Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees

Prep. Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time:  1 Hour 15 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There was a time when I was younger that I absolutely adored apples. I would have at least one apple every day. Then again, I would always have some sort of caramel chocolate with it. After all, who doesn't like the stellar combo of apples and caramel? Now that I'm older, I find that I have to actually crave an apple. Yes, I have weird random cravings. Lately, those random cravings have been showing up a lot more often. I was craving apples, but not in a typical Apple Pie. Of course, I just had to find a recipe that had apples, and it was a must that I bake something. You see, finding a recipe is usually what takes me forever. Believe it or not, the actual baking takes less time. Maybe it's because I'm OCD and like to obsess over researching every aspect and reading every comment. It takes a lot for me to actually try a recipe. I finally found one that satisfied me on One Perfect Bite. This blog is truly amazing. I don't link to original recipes often, but this is definitely a blog you should check out. Such thought and time are put into each and every recipe and post, it's definitely worth the time. Anyways, I read and re read the recipe and went over every detail. Then I got to work. The results, stellar. Absolutely phenomenal. Impeccable.

This apple cake is just one of a kind. The cake itself is slightly dense with the perfect crumb to it. It's moist and velvety and the apples add a beautifully soft bite. You get the slight hint of cinnamon and the richness from the cream cheese. This cake just has the most amazing texture. Try it out. It does take a little extra prep time, but the result is definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Butter (Softened)
12 oz. Cream Cheese (Softened)
2 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 lbs. Apples (Peeled and Diced)
Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two (9 x 5 x 2-inch) loaf pans or a 10 Cup Tube Pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
Put butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat ingredients on medium-high speed until mixture is very light in color (almost white) and texture is fluffy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl once during the process to insure that butter is evenly incorporated. Crack eggs into a liquid measure and add vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour mixture into bowl allowing eggs to fall in one at a time. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients on low speed; stop mixing as soon as flour is incorporated. Fold apples in by hand using a stiff spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan. Place pans in the middle of the oven and bake 60-75 minutes rotating pans halfway through baking time. When cake is finished, a wooden skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Allow cakes to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and cover with a thick dusting of powdered sugar.

Opera Cake

Opera Cake

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees, 350 degrees

Prep. Time: 1 1/2 Hours

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Total Time: 2 Hours 10 Minutes

I am a total sucker for trying new things. I love trying new food, new clothes, and most of all new recipes. For some reason, the ridiculously time consuming intricate recipes seem to appear when I've got a specific Birthday Cake request. Back in December it was one of my friends birthdays, having been the one to make a previous cake for them, the birthday girl had a specific request. She wanted a cake that combined coffee, mocha, and chocolate flavors. Of course, she had to make it a little more difficult with a request for not too much coffee. I was up for the challenge. I spend all night looking up recipes on Pintrest and trying to think of how I could combine all these flavors. Then, I hit the jackpot. I found a link to what was called an opera cake. It looked beautiful, time consuming, difficult, and delicious. That was the perfect combination for me. I pinned the recipe and woke up bright and early the next morning to start working on my masterpiece.
Now the cake may seem a little difficult, but I promise, if you follow my detailed directions you will be fine. Also, when I began to layer the cake and cream I used a cheesecake pan. Since the cheesecake pan has a clasp to separate the bottom from the sides, it makes it perfect for layering this cake. I used a pan the same size as the ones I had baked my cake layers in. This held everything together perfectly and kept my ganache from dripping as the cake set. I would also recommend you place a parchment circle in the bottom of the cheesecake pan, as well all around the sides. My parchment sides were about two inches taller then the sides of the cheesecake pan, which is perfect  because this cake gets pretty tall. Just follow my directions by the letter, and read the whole thing before stating, and I promise that you too will accomplish this amazing to die for cake!
Of course now you're curious to how this cake tastes. I am lost on how to even describe it. The cake layers have a nutty flavor with a slight cookie like texture. The parts soaked in the coffee syrup are moist and amazingly sweet. Then you hit the buttercream. WOW. That buttercream. Its slightly flavored with a mocha paste and has the most delicate color. Add that to the ridiculously sweet chocolate ganache, and the crumbly cake and you have all these amazing flavors melded into a gorgeous and tasty cake. You need to try this. You must. The world will thank you. As will your taste buds.

Ingredients:

Joconde (The Cake)
200 g Finely Ground Almond (I used a food processor)
100 g Caster Sugar (Just Pulse Granulated Sugar in the food processor for 30 sec.)
6 Eggs
50 g Butter (Melted)
60 g All Purpose Four
115 g Egg Whites (3 or 4 Egg Whites depending on size, I used 4)
55 g Caster Sugar

Coffee Syrup
100 ml Coffee or 100 ml Hot Water with 15 g Instant Coffee
100 g Sugar (Personally I would leave out next time.)

Mocha Buttercream
100 g Egg Whites (2 or 3 Egg Whites, I used 3)
200 g Sugar
300 g Unsalted Butter (CUBED and CHILLED)
1/2 tbsp Mocha Paste (1 tbsp Instant Coffee, 1 tbsp Cocoa, 1/2 tbsp Water MIXED)
1 tsp Coffee Oil or Some sort of Extract

Chocolate Ganache
200 g Dark Chocolate
200 g Milk Chocolate
75 g Unsalted Butter
250 ml Heavy Cream

Chocolate Drizzle
1/4 Cup Chocolate
1 tsp Vegetable Shortening

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare two 8 inch pan by placing a parchment circle in the bottom and buttering and flouring the sides. In a large bowl combine the ground almond, sugar, and 3 whole eggs. Beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. Then beat in one egg at a time from the remaining three eggs. Beat each one until combined. After you add the last egg, beat for another 10 minutes. In another bowl stir in 1/4 cup of the almond mixture you just prepared with the melted butter. Set this mixture aside. Add the flour to the remaining almond mixture and combine. Set aside.
In another bowl beat the egg whites till foamy and then gradually add the 55 g caster sugar until soft peaks form. Combine both of the almond mixtures and then take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and gently mix it into the almond mixture to lighten the batter. After you have lightened the batter pour the whole thing into the rest of the egg whites and gently fold it all together! Do not mix or the batter will deflate! Seperate into two pans. Make sure they are even. Place the pans in the oven and immediatly decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for twenty minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans until they are completly cool. Take the cakes out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and slice each cake so you end up with four layers.
Now you need to prepare each of the layers. Make the coffee syrup by mixing the hot water with the instant coffee and then disolving the sugar. You can also just use a strong espresso and mix in the sugar. Set this aside to cool.
For the buttercream you want to use a double boiler. You can just use a pot with water and place a heatproof bowl on top. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl or you will scramble the eggs. Place the egg whites and caster sugar and using a beater beat at the slowest speed while heating the mixture. You can also whisk this mixture by hand. You want the sugar to dissolve in the egg whites. You can use a thermometer and just heat the mixture to 65 degrees Celsius, but lets be honest, not many of us have a thermometer. I know I don't. I just check by rubbing the mixture between my fingers to see if there are any sugar grains left. After the sugar is dissolved, pour this mixture into a clean cool bowl and beat at high speed until the mixture turns glossy. Now, take out the cubed butter from the fridge, and while beating, add one cube of butter at a time. Your mixture might start to seperate or deflate but it will come together when you're done. Beat well until the cream is light and fluffy. Now add in the mocha paste and coffee oil and 50 ml of the coffee syrup. Mix well.
Last but not least, you need to prepare the ganache.

Chop the chocoalate into small pieces. Heat the cream until its warm and then pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for five minutes and then mix well. Add the butter and continue to mix until everything is combined and smooth. Set aside until it thickens a little.

Assembling the Cake:
Set your prepared pan on a flat table. Place one of the cake layers down. Make sure the layer is upside down, meaning that the top of the cake is touching the bottom of the pan. Brush with the coffee syrup until moist. Spread half  of the buttercream. Cover with another layer of cake (always upside down). Again, brush with coffee syrup. Pour over half of the chocolate ganache. Layer with another cake and brush it with the coffee syrup. Spread the other half of the buttercream. Place the last layer of cake and brush with the rest of the syrup. Pour the rest of the ganache and spread nicely. Place in the refrigerator until set and then drizzle with chocolate. When ready to serve, release the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper. Set in a plate and slice with a hot knife. Wipe the knife before each slice to preserve the layering. Enjoy. Store refrigerated for up to three days! NO MORE!
Enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Tiramisu Cupcakes . . .

Oven Temperature: 325 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Tiramisu is known as a classic and decadent dessert. You are bound to find some "Homemade" version of it at probably any Italian restaurant you go to. Being muslim, I cannot drink alcohol. Therefore, I have never actually gotten to taste tiramisu because it usually has some form of alcohol in it. Now, I know I could have made it myself, but I am the kind of person that likes to make everything from scratch. I didn't really make it if I bought the cookies, bought the coffee, and bought the cream. Right? So, I never made it, because I am weird like that. Now you can only imagine my excitement when I got a request for tiramisu cupcakes. This was coming from an addict, from someone that loved tiramisu, from someone that had tried it in all its forms, and from someone that I looked up to. This meant that they're opinion mattered to me. I had to perfect them, I just had to.

These cupcakes are just jawdroppingly beyond amazing. They are that  good. The cupcakes themselves are fluffy and dense in the weirdest way. They are amazingly moist and have like an almost crispy sweet edging. Combine that with espresso syrup that they are lovingly and delicately brushed with and you have this ridiculous coffee, sugary, cakey concoction. Then you have the frosting. That frosting. Oh. My. God. 

The mascarpone itself is a rich creamy cheese. Now, at $6.00 for 8 oz of it, my frosting had better taste damn good. The frosting is airy, rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. The first bite is different. You want to take another one. You take the second bite, and the frosting hits the crispy edges of the cupcake, the sweetness of the coffee, and the actual crumbs within the cake, and you are just in heaven. Literally. Enough said.

This recipe is pretty straightforward one. However, it is also one that requires extreme attention to detail. I am pretty OCD about details, so the recipe should be easy to follow, and you should get pretty decent results if you follow it word by word. This is definitely a recipe that I would not use substitutions in—unless I stated a specific substitution within the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake

1 1/4 Cups Cake Flour (*See Substitute below)

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Milk

1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Bean Split lengthwise (Scraped)

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (Cubed and Softened)

3 Whole Eggs AND 3 Egg Yolks

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

Coffee Syrup

1/2 Cup Espresso or DARK Coffee (HOT)

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

Frosting

1 Cup Heavy Cream

8 oz Mascarpone Cheese

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar (Sifted)

Decoration

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for Dusting

*Substitutions

*For 1 1/4 Cups Cake Flour:

Measure 1 Cup Flour and REMOVE 2 tbsp Flour. Add 2 tbsp Cornstarch.

Measure 1/4 Cup Flour and REMOVE 1/2 tbsp Flour . Add 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line your muffin tins with paper liners. This recipe will make exactly 18 cupcakes. After you line the tins, spray the top, that way the cap of the cupcake doesn't stick when the rise during baking. 

Sift your cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small pot, heat your milk, and vanilla extract (Or Scraping with the pods, you'll have to strain the mixture after though). Heat through, but DON'T boil. When bubbles form around the edges, remove from heat. If you used vanilla beans, remove the pod and strain. If not, skip this step. 

Now, you should set up a double boiler for the next part. Make sure the bowl is large enough to fit all the ingredients as they will expand. In the bowl you are going to use, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and the sugar. I used an electric mixer for this step. Now, place this bowl over the pot of water. Turn on the heat and allow the water to boil. Make sure to whisk this mixture continuously by hand for about 4-6 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve and for the mixture to be warm. Remove the bowl from the heat. Now, using an electric mixer, whisk this on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale, and yellow. You want it to be able to hold a ribbon across the surface for a few seconds when the whisk is lifted. 

Next, you are going to fold in the sifted flour mixture. You want to fold it in three separate batches so your batter doesn't deflate. Now, take about a half cup of batter and mix it into the milk mixture in order to thicken the liquid for easy folding. Now fold the milk mixture into the rest of the batter. You just want to combine the ingredients. 

Next, evenly pour the batter into the cupcake tins. As I said before, you should get exactly 18 cupcakes. You want to rotate the pans halfway through baking for even baking. Bake until the edges are light golden brown, which is about 20 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean. Place the cupcake tins on wire racks until they are completely cool. You want to leave the cupcakes to cool completely before removing from the tins. 

To make the syrup, mix in the coffee and sugar and set aside to cool. 

When the cupcakes have cooled, brush the tops with syrup. I take a pastry brush and dip it in the syrup, brush the cupcake, and then repeat for each of the cupcakes. Then you repeat the process until you are out of syrup. This way they have time to absorb, and they are all evenly soaked. They may drip a little, but I assure you this amount of syrup is perfect if you follow these steps. Don't try to just put even tsp's because then they wont absorb it all and they will drip. If you do it like this, they will be perfectly moist. They may drip a little, but these cupcakes are so fluffy, that I guarantee you they will absorb all of it. 

While the cupcakes settle a little, make the frosting. You want to use this frosting immediately  so don't make it until you need it. In a small bowl whisk the whipping cream till stiff peaks form. Don't over whip or it will be grainy. In another bowl, whisk together your mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Now slowly and gently fold in the whipping cream into the mascarpone mixture. 

Using a sandwich or freezer bag, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Don't dust with cocoa until before serving. If you are not serving till the next day, just wrap and place them in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature for about an hour before serving. Dust with cocoa powder. Enjoy! 

Molten Lava Cakes . . . YUM!

Molten Lava Cakes

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 11-14 minutes
Total:  26-29 minutes

I cannot believe that I have yet to post a Lava Cake recipe. I am still shocked that I have not posted this amazingly easy recipe. Oh MY GOD! As you all know, I have a really bad chocolate addiction. This is the one cake that will completely satisfy that craving. A few years back, I went to Chili's. For dessert, I ordered a Molten Chocolate Cake. Little did I know that the minute I dug my spoon into this warm chocolate cake, it would pour out a river of warm chocolate gooeyness. That is the minute my life changed. I never knew that so many amazing flavors and textures could be held in this small little cake. My life had been corrupted forever. I NEEDED to know how to  make this cake. I just had to know. I spend days and days researching a molten cake recipe with consistently failed results. Either the whole cake would be too firm, or way too runny. Finally, I came across an amazing website with an AMAZING recipe. I was also able to watch a video with specific directions on how to make this cake. I made it once, and I was hooked. This is by far the best cake I have ever made. You will make it, and you will fall in love. Make it for someone you love, because I guarantee you a marriage proposal when you do. It's THAT GOOD!
This cake is brownie like on the outside. DId your spoon into this perfectly crispy exterior, and you will be greeted with a fluffy whipped mousse like chocolatey interior. It will be perfectly plump, amazingly light, and delectably rich in chocolate, with the absolute perfect amount of sweetness. Plop some whipped cream or Ice Cream on the top, and you have got a sinfully forbidden dessert. Try this cake. You will love it just as much as I do, if not more. Like I said, It's THAT GOOD.

Here are a few tips to making this cake:

• When melting the chocolate, use a double boiler to prevent burning it.
• Make sure that when you separate the egg yolks from the whites, to not get ANY yolk in the whites, or they will not whip correctly! Here is a great video on how to separate eggs. 
• If you don't have Cream of Tartar, you can use a dash of salt instead. Don't go grocery shopping just to get it!
• When beating the egg yolks with the sugar, I found that a paddle attachment works better, but you can use a whisk, however, ALWAY use a whisk to beat the egg whites.
• Before beating the egg whites, make sure you bowl is CLEAN and VERY DRY. Also, put it in the freezer for a few minutes before using it. A warm bowl will NOT allow your whites to expand correctly. 
• In order to allow your whites to expand correctly, beat them on medium speed till foamy, then add the Cream of Tartar or Salt. After that, beat them on medium speed till soft peaks form, and the add the sugar VERY slowly as beating, until Stiff peaks form. If you over beat the eggs, they will deflate. Here is a video that demonstrates how whip egg whites correctly. 
• DO NOT pour your sugar on your egg yolks if you aren't going to beat immediately. If the sugar  is left to sit on the yolks, they will scramble. 
  

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Cubed)

6 oz. Chopped  Semisweet Chocolate OR 1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

3 Eggs (Separated)

1/3 Cup Granulated White Sugar

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar OR Salt

1 tbsp Granulated White Sugar

Directions:

Begin by melting the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. I personally think it's a waste of money to buy one, so I use a steel or glass mixing bowl that fits inside a pot, where it will sit perfectly on the top and not touch the bottom. Fill the pot with about an inch of water, where it won't touch the bowl after you set it on the pot. Put the chocolate and the butter in the mixing bowl, without getting any water on them because the chocolate WILL seize. Turn on the heat, and allow the heat of the water boiling underneath the bowl to melt your chocolate and butter. Mix it occasionally until it is all melted and incorporated. You do not want to heat the chocolate, just melt it. After the chocolate is melted, take the bowl out of the pot and set it aside to allow the chocolate to come to room temperature so it wont scramble your eggs when you add it to the rest of your mixture.

As the chocolate cools, beat the egg yolks with the 1/3 cup of sugar. Beat until the mixture is pale, and when you lift the beaters it should fall back down in a nice ribbon. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the melted chocolate/butter mixture. Mix just to incorporate. 

In a clean, DRY, COLD bowl pour the egg whites and beat with a whisk attachment on medium speed. Beat until frothy. Add the Cream of Tartar OR Salt and keep beating on medium speed until soft peaks form. After the soft peaks form, slowly and gradually add the 1 tbsp of sugar while the mixer is still on medium speed. Keep whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form. When you take out the whisk and flip it ride side up, the peak of whipped eggs should stay stiff and pointing up. If it falls, then stiff peaks have not formed yet. DO NOT over beat the whites. If you do so, they will deflate and liquify again. 

Take a small amount of the whipped egg whites and mix it into the yolk/chocolate mixture. This should lighten the mixture enough to allow you to fold in the rest of the whipped whites easily. Now, slowly fold in half of the remaining whipped whites. Gently fold them in so you incorporate them without deflating them. Fold in the rest of the whites and then evenly pour the mixture into four buttered and floured ramekins. Place on a cookie sheet and place them on the center rack in the oven. Bake for EXACTLY 11 minutes. If you bake them longer, they will cook all the way through, and then they will no longer be lava cakes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and serve. You do not flip them out! Be careful as they will be hot. Serve 'em with some cream, some ice cream or just plain on their own: my personal favorite.

*NOTE: You can make these ahead of time and just cover them and place them in the fridge. When ready to bake, just preheat the oven and bake for 14 minutes.

ENJOY!

Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 1/2 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total: 2 hours

I have a really bad addiction to chocolate. It's gotten to the point where I cannot buy a bag and leave it in my room, because I will eat it. ALL OF IT. I have no discipline. Of course, the fact that I don't gain weight doesn't make things better. Since there are no severe consequences to eating the bag, I really don't care, and it is HORRIBLE. So, I will not buy a bag. If I am depressed, I buy a few hundred chocolate bars, and eat them all. Other than that, even my mother won't buy it. Of course, that doesn't stop me from going to school and buying chocolate from the little no-gas gas station. Sometimes, it'll make it home and in rare cases, till the next day. However, most of the time I'm throwing out the wrapper as I leave the little store. So, my addiction may be bad, but the first step to beating an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. I have a problem. I know I do. I am working on it. I have gotten better, and the best solution I have found is to bake for others. The best feeling in the world is make something and watch someone eat it. That face they make when they taste it, it's just beautiful. They look at you as if you just put the world into their hands. Their face gets this look, a look saying oh.my.god.you.are.the.best.person.in.the.whole.entire.world.and.right.now.I.just.LOVE.YOU! They finish it, and then they are just drugged with an amazing flavor that they just don't want to leave their mouth. That is what happened when I made these cupcakes. That is exactly what happened, because that look was on my face.
I love this chocolate cake recipe. It's rich, it's bitter, and it's moist. I am also obsessed with peanut butter. So imagine my excitement when I found out about Reese's peanut butter cups. Chocolate and peanut butter just put a smile on my face. THen, you have the chocolate mousse on top. Chocolate, Peanut Butter, more Chocolate, more Peanut Butter, and more Chocolate and Peanut Butter. I am in heaven, and after you make these dreadfully amazingly tasty cupcakes, you will be as well.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Boiling Coffee (or Water)
1 3/4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream PREPARED or 2/3 Cups Prepared Cream (Cool Whip)

Chocolate Mousse Frosting
1 15 oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 8 oz. Package Cool Whip
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips
Milk (Optional)

Topping
Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:
Begin by making the frosting. On a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. Allow them to cool to room temperature. Using a mixer, whip the sweetened condensed milk with the cooled melted chocolate. You want a smooth mixture. If the chocolate isn't cooled, it will curdle with the condensed milk. Now, add the cool whip and sour cream. Whip well. Add milk if you want to thin the mousse out slightly or if you feel it is too stiff. You can always add less chocolate if you do not want it as sweet. Set in the refrigerator until needed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 if convection). In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat well. Now, stir in the Boiling coffee (or water). Mix just until incorporated. The batter WILL BE THIN. I usually pour the batter into a large measuring cup in order to easily pour it into the cupcake pan. Line 2 cupcake pans with 12 liners each. Spray the top of the cupcake pan so when they rise they don't stick to the top. Now, evenly pour the batter into the 24 cups. You should have enough to fill each one 2/3's of the way. Place the pans on the center rack in the oven and set a timer for 27 minutes. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
With a mixer, cream the peanut butter and slowly add the prepared cream. Beat well to incorporate into a Peanut Butter Cream.
After the cupcakes have cooled completely, fill them with the peanut butter cream by inserting the tip on a piping bag midway into the cupcake, squeezing, and releasing. This video is a great tutorial on how to do that. After all your cupcakes are filled, frost with the chocolate mousse frosting. I frost the cupcakes pretty generously and usually still have a little mousse left over. After you finish frosting them, you can just decorate them with a mini reese's or you can crush some to sprinkle on top as well. I did both. The mousse holds well, so they won't melt all over the place. However, these do need to be refrigerated so they don't go bad. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

I love my coffee. When I was a kid I remember my dad making a pot of coffee and pouring a cup. He would drink a few sips of it hot and eventually get distracted reading the newspaper. His coffee would get cold, and he would ask me to dump it in the sink and pour him a fresh cup. I loved being trusted with the hot pot of coffee. It made me feel like a big girl. He would then give me a sip of his coffee and tell me, "Only one sip, or you'll be a shortie like your mother." Of course, at 5'9 my mother is not the short one. As the years passed by, I graduated from the tiny sips to tiny little cups of coffee. When I hit 5'8 in the 8th grade, my dad decided I could have whatever coffee I wanted. Of course, that is because I outgrew him in height and he absolutely hated it. You can say that I am probably addicted to coffee. I drink it black. The aroma of a good cup of coffee just makes you want to drink it black. Why should you take away from the delicately bold flavor by drowning it in creamers and various unspeakable amounts of sugar? Black is the way to go, I tell you. And of course, when you give me a cup of coffee, I will ask for a slice of coffee cake to go with it. After you give me a slice of coffee cake, I will remember there is a whole cake in the kitchen. I will find the cake. I will eat the cake. I will enjoy the cake.
The batter to this cake is a slightly thicker one. As it bakes, the cake becomes moist and slightly dense. A ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirls through the center of the cake, making it not only beautiful, but flavorful. The sharpness of the cinnamon and the sweetness of the sugar counteract perfectly to the lightly sweetened dense cake. Then you get to the crumb topping. Bits are crunchy and sweet, while other bits are soft and moist. You get the crisp of the cooked sugar, and the sharpness of the cinnamon. The butter just blends the flavors together and you have the perfect crumb topping. This cake is seriously to die for. If you don't drink coffee, you will begin to crave it with this amazingly cinammony dense cake. And, if you already love coffee, your coffee moments will be transformed from "ahhhhh" doses to "AHHHHHHHH, OH MY GODDDDDDD" doses. Make this cake. Eat this cake. You will appreciate having to read all this. It is definitely worth it. Enough said.

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 Cup Cold Butter (Cubed)

Cinnamon Swirl
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

Cake
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter (Softened)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Full Fat Sour Cream (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WITH LOW FAT)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and butter and flour a tube pan.
Start by combining all of the crumb topping ingredients, except for the butter. Whisk the ingredients together so they are combined. Cut the butter into the crumb mixture as you would if this were a pastry. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. You are looking for a sand like texture where the butter is incorporated. You do not want chunks of butter. Set aside.
Now mix the cinnamon swirl by just mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
For the cake, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl cream the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well in between. Now, add the vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Next add the sour cream and mix till combined. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix enough to just combine all the ingredients well.
Pour half the batter into the buttered and floured tube pan. The batter will be thick so you may need to spread it with a spoon. Now, evenly sprinkle the cinnamon swirl all over the top of the batter. Pour the other half of the batter on top of the cinnamon swirl and spread evenly. Now, evenly pour the cinnamon crumb mixture on the top of the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the pan on a rack until completely cool. Take the cake out of the pan and place on a plate. Generously sprinkle powdered sugar all over the cake. Slice and enjoy.