OWLSOME CUPCAKES

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Sorry, could not resist the pun… These are chocolate cupcakes, and they are the most fun and adorable project you can definitely do with kids. They will love the process and later consuming all the owlsome calories. Ok, I’ll stop now.

OWLSOME CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes 10

for the cupcakes:
50g butter, room temperature
110g all-purpose flour
25g cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
150g sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
130ml milk at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder

for buttercream:
120g butter, softened
240g powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
heavy cream to thin consistency, if needed

to decorate:
Oreo cookies, gently open so that the filling stays nicely on one side
brown and orange M&Ms

Make the cupcakes. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. I like to sprinkle rice at the bottom of the muffin space before adding the liners on top.

Whisk the egg and milk in a measuring cup with a fork. Reserve.

Put the flour, baking powder, sat, cocoa powder, butter and sugar into the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.Mix on medium speed until the butter forms a sand-like consistency, in very small pieces.

Pour half the mix/egg mixture into the bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated, the increase the speed to high for a minute. Add the remaining milk, and again mix on low, then increase speed to high. Add to the cupcake liners until half full, not more than that,

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Make the buttercream by whisking the butter for about 7 minutes on high speed. Add the powdered sugar in three portions, whisking low at first, then increasing speed. At the last addition, incorporate also the cocoa powder. Whisk on high for a couple of minutes, thin wth heavy cream if needed.

To decorate, spread a layer of buttercream on top of the cupcakes. To the open Oreos add brown M&M to form the eyes, press gently but firmly to attach to the white filing. It is easier to do that before you add the Oreo to the cupcake. Place the Oreos as eyes, then use Oreos without filling cut in half for the eyebrows. Add the orange M&M for the beak.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I cannot take credit for the idea, I saw it somewhere on Pinterest and made a version, as it seemed pretty straightforward. The only thing is, you will need a lot more Oreos than you think, because yes, “there will be breaks”. Also, sometimes when you separate them the filling does not stay nicely on one side. If you try to move it around and fix things, it just won’t work very well. So, be gentle, twist slowly as you open them. Also, when you cut them in half for the eyebrows, it is easy to crumble one of the halves. Anyway, no big deal but make sure you have enough to start with.

.

Not sure how many people will get this quote, but I’ll take the risk…

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28Jul2026

RAGGIO TRICOLOR YOGURT CAKE

Posted in Cake by sallybr

This cake is made with a special silicone pan from Silikomart, called Raggio. For some reason, I am always a bit insecure to try a recipe unless I see it made in that exact pan, so when I found this version years ago, I was thrilled. Promptly saved it in my files. Took me a while, but here I am to share the outcome. It is a bit sad that Barbara, the Polish-Italian food blogger behind it, does not seem to be publishing new recipes anymore, but if you want to pay her a visit and see the wonderful bakes she shared in the past, click here.

RAGGIO TRICOLOR YOGURT CAKE
(sightly modified from FoodOhFood)

450 g flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
220 g of soft butter
450 g white sugar
125 g strawberry yogurt
1 tsp of vanilla extract
5 eggs at room temperature
120 ml buttermilk

for the dark batter:
2 + 1/2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 + 1/2 tbsp of milk

for the red batter:
1 tbsp of milk
1 tbsp of cocoa
1 tsp strawberry emulsion (optional, I used this one)
red food dye

Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

In a KitchenAid type mixer, whisk soft butter along with sugar for 4-5 minutes or until it becomes light and fluffy. Add yogurt and whip again. Then gradually add eggs and finally vanilla extract. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a second bowl.
Now, gradually add buttermilk and dry ingredients into the mixture with the eggs. Do it in 3 or 4 times, always whipping at low speed until all the ingredients are well blended.

Weigh the batter and divide it into three equal parts. For the chocolate part, take a cup or a small bowl and mix a tablespoon of light mixture with 2 and a half tablespoons of milk and 2 and a half tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Add this color to the first third of the batter and stir in gently.

For the red color, mix a generous tablespoon of the light mixture with 1 tablespoon of milk, 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, the strawberry emulsion (if using) and just enough of the red food dye. The teaspoon of cocoa is used to darken the red color. Add the prepared mix to the second third of the batter and stir in.

To give a desired tricolor effect, place the mould so that it remains slightly inclined. Add several spoonfuls of the red batter into the mould. Add some of the dark mixture to the bottom of the red color and some of the light mixture to the top. Fill the mold almost to the brim, alternating the colors, then place it on the flat surface and add a few more layers of colored batter. Fill the mould to about three quarters in hight. You will have leftover batter, that you can use to make cupcakes.

Bake at 350F for 50 – 60 minutes for the Raggio cake and 25 minutes for cupcakes. Or bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Once removed from the oven, let them cool completely before removing from the mould.

Serve with a light dust of powdered sugar, if so desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I confess intricate silicone pans intimidate me. Bundt pans are always a little stressful to un-mold, but silicone pans are like Bundts on steroids. The secret is to allow the cake to cool for a long time before releasing from the pan. Some people like to even stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes after cooling just to make sure. But when that cake comes out perfect, it’s the most amazing thrill…

This cake is super simple to make, and smells amazing as it bakes. I donated it whole, so apologies for not showing it cut. It is a small price to pay when you don’t eat your own concoctions…

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20Jul2026

PINK VELVET LAYER CAKE

Posted in Cake by sallybr

Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but wonderful for any other celebration, this is a real adorable design and not too complicated to make. However, it helps to have a smooth frosting to start with, and that can make a baker hyperventilate a bit. Don’t ask me how I know….

PINK VELVET LAYER CAKE
(slightly modified from I’ll Bring the Cake)

¾ cup buttermilk
⅔ cup sour cream
⅓ cup vegetable oil
4 egg whites
1 tablespoons raspberry emulsion (I used this one)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freeze-dried raspberries, powdered in a food processor
1 box white cake mix
pink gel food dye, a couple of small drops

for the vanilla buttercream:
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream (plus more if needed)
7 to 8 cups powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 325°F. Prepare three 6-inch round cake pans covering the bottom with parchment and spraying baking spray on the sides and bottom. Reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, oil, egg whites, raspberry emulsion, vanilla and freeze-dried raspberries until thoroughly combined. Sift in the cake mix and pink foo dye, whisk until just combined. Split the batter evenly among the prepared pans.

Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the center is baked through. Let the cakes cool in the pan for about a minute before flipping them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap and transfer the cakes to the freezer for 30 minutes before proceeding with frosting. You can also save them in the fridge to continue the following day.

Make the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and beat again until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time. Add a little more heavy cream if needed, then flip the mixer to high speed and beat until the buttercream is lighter in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Separate one cup of frosting to dye pink, leave the rest plain.

Assemble the cake: Place a cardboard cake round on a cake turntable. Dot a little bit of buttercream in the center of the round and spread it out with an angled icing spatula. Place the first chilled cake layer in the center. Add a layer of buttercream. Place the next cake layer on top, then repeat, making sure to line the layers up evenly. After adding the top cake layer, crumb coat the cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. Freeze the cake for 5 minutes.

To the reserved buttercream, add 1 drop of soft-pink gel coloring and stir to incorporate. Pipe hearts and little blobs, using a round tip for the hearts, and an open star to the little blobs. Cover the top with sprinkles and add a decorative border with a 1M piping tip.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This recipe is an example of “doctored cake mix”, in which you start with a box cake component but add bells and whistles to it. Many will twist their noses, I honestly do not see anything wrong, I can bake a cake from scratch, but don’t mind taking a little shortcut here and there. I donated the cake whole, and I don’t feel like asking volunteers to take pictures for me, they have a lot to think about during the dinners, so I cannot show you the inside. It got very nice reviews, though, so I am confident about sharing the recipe with my readers. The pink color I used is my all-time-fave, Dusty Rose. Every chance I get, I incorporate it into my bakes.

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THE BEWITCHING KITCHEN TURNS 17!

Posted in Cake by sallybr

Sometimes I cannot quite believe that I’ve been doing this for seventeen years, but what is even more amazing to me, is that I still feel a wonderful thrill every time I hit “publish” on a new post. And yes, I realize I’ve said that before, after all, it’s been seventeen years of cooking and sharing joy. To celebrate the occasion, I baked a cake, but to be completely honest, there were a few issues, so I am not sharing the recipe. It comes from a pretty well-known cookbook. Enough said. Chocolate layer cake, with fudge buttercream and ganache drip. The issue was the buttercream, but I did my best to work around the problem.

Four layers of chocolate cake, filling of fudge buttercream with bits of shortbread cookies, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. After frosting the cake, a dark chocolate ganache was poured on the flat top, allowing it to drip down the sides. A little extra buttercream to make rosettes on top, chocolate sprinkles and gold for good luck.

The cake was donated whole, so I cannot show the inside, but I heard it was very rich and delicious. As to the journey of blogging, mine will definitely keep going. Phil and I are officially retired for almost a full month, and want to expand a bit my horizon on cooking in general, attempting recipes that are a bit more exotic, maybe. Let’s see how it goes. If you’ve been here from the very beginning, thank you for hanging around for so long. If you are new to my little virtual spot, I hope you’ll find plenty of things to read about and maybe make in your own kitchen. Make it bewitching. And let’s step into the 18th year of food blogging, shall we?

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9Jun2026

LEMON DOT CAKES

Posted in Desserts, Sweets, Desserts, Cake by sallybr

Have you heard of these? It all started at a bakery in Roslyn, New York, called -quite appropriately – The Dotcakes. They sell them in many different formats, including the popular cupcake, The whole idea behind them is a soft cake inserted in a paper or glass cup, filled to the brim with buttercream, and topped with nonpareils. Simple and effective. Apparently dot cakes are going viral on TikTok, I would not know because I never had the patience for the platform. But Susan, from The View from Great Island, recently made those and I jumped on that project shortly after reading her post. Well, first I had to visit The Super Evil Empire to get me some paper cups. THEN I jumped on it.

LEMON DOT CAKES
(from The View from Great Island)

15 ounce lemon cake mix, prepared according to box directions.
1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
8 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
nonpareil sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 10×15 jelly roll pan.

Prepare the cake mix according to its directions and spread into your prepared pan. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until it springs back when lightly touched in the center. A toothpick will come out without wet batter on it. Set aside to cool.

To make the frosting beat the softened butter until fluffy in a large bowl. Slowly add the sugar, a cup at a time, along with the lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth and silky.

When the cake has cooled use your cookie cutter (in the same size as your cake cups) to cut out rounds of cake. Place a round of cake into each cup. Top with the frosting, and bring it right to the top. Smooth it out so that it is completely flat.

Place your sprinkles in a bowl and dip each cup headfirst down into the sprinkles so that they cover the whole surface.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Please do not be upset about the use of a box cake. This is a simple, humble cake that just needs to be moist and flavorful. A box cake delivers that without issues. You can of course make the cake component from scratch. But sometimes simplicity wins in my kitchen. The little cups come with a lid that is perfect to donate these babies, otherwise the nonpareils could make it a bit messy, some always seem to fall off.

I donated the whole batch but I heard they turned out delicious. Each one was donated with a little spoon attached to the lid, to make it easier for the volunteers working that meal.

If you have a party coming up, particularly with kids, consider baking a batch of these dot cakes, they will be a huge hit…
Many thanks to Susan for the inspiration!

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