feature friday

i've decided to do something new...i'm going to start a 'feature friday' and feature fellow cupcake lovers and their work. i'm really excited about it. i love surfing the net and blog world for amazing cupcakes...

so for my very first 'feature friday' i'm featuring...

drumroll please...

my friend lyndsey and her blog,

kitchen doughdough

look at these awesome cupcakes she made! i absolutely love them!

here's her post, hope you enjoy! after you read it, leave a comment, and then be sure to head on over to her blog, kitchen doughdough!

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Red Creme Soda Cupcakes for the Iron Cupcake: Earth April Challenge

I have been so excited to create these cupcakes since I first heard the Iron Cupcake: Earth cupcake challenge was soda pop! (They challenge bakers each month with a new ingredient. Check out their site at http://www.ironcupcakeearth.com/)To decorate the cupcake, I put Barq's Red Creme Soda in the bottom of a glass, adding cherries if you like for added decor. I dropped the cupcake in the mug, letting the creme soda soak the very bottom of the cupcake. Next, I piped the frosting to look like ice cream using a 1A decorating tip. Finally, I wolfed it down with a fork! I LOVE anything cherry. I also added a straw so I could sip some of the red creme soda from the bottom. It's my favorite soda pop, after all, which is where I got the inspiration for my cupcakes. In our house, we love to make red creme soda floats, hence the decorating idea.

Red Creme Soda Cupcakes

1 white cake mix (or a white cake from scratch and skip the water, oil and whole eggs)

1 c water

1/3 c oil

3 whole eggs

1/4 c Barq's Red Creme Soda

1 T Stasero cherry syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cupcake (muffin) pans by spraying cooking spray (I use Baker's Joy) or lining with baking liners. Stir cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until moistened. Add red creme soda and cherry syrup. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Fill each part of the cupcake pan/liners 2/3 full. Bake about 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few crumbs attached to it. This time is for 12 cupcakes.

Red Creme Soda Frosting - Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 T Stasero cherry syrup

1 T Barq's Red Creme

15 maraschino cherries (you could just do 2/3 cup)

Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl. Beat the butter on med-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to med-low. Add the confectioners' sugar slowly and beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the cream mixture. Add cherry syrup, red creme soda, and cherries. Beat on high to puree the cherries. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.