Bite size yummy on a stick

Cake crumbs, icing and melted chocolate on a stick..... come on, what kid doesn't want one??!!

After a disappointing bite of a pink cake pop from Starbucks, I knew I had to make them.

I had to make them BETTER!!!

Cinnamon & Chocolate for Valentines Day

I am not a big fan of Valentines Day.  

Maybe it is because I wasn't popular enough in school to collect hoards of the tiny little cards.

Or maybe it is because in the past, I had worked until midnight on this specific night for 7 years.

Even after being married it was never a big deal, just a cash grab.

Well ever since having my son, I have been sucked into the V-day hoopla.  Little stuffies, big plooshies (as he likes to say), cookies, cupcakes and chocolates.

Rich Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes

3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 cup of salted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of white granulated sugar
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pop in cupcake liners into a 12 cup muffin tin.

Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, cinnamon and baking powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, around 4 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating really well after adding each egg.  Then add the vanilla.  With mixer on low speed, add four mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream - beginning and ending with the flour.

Pour batter in liners, filling 3/4 each.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes our clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Butter Cream

3/4 cup of salted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening
4 to 5 cups of icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons of whipping cream

Whip butter and shortening for about 6 minutes, even longer if you have the patience.

Carefully add some of the icing sugar to the whipped butter making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

Whip in the extracts and the whipping cream. Add the remaining icing sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.


I tend to add less of the icing sugar because I like my butter cream more buttery than sugary.  By doing this, it makes the icing a little less stiffer, which may or may not work for you or what you are decorating.