A Month-of-Few Ingredients: Knock Your Tops Off Cupcake Frosting

This blog sometimes brings me in contact with wonderful people I have the pleasure of featuring. One such is author Leighann Dobbs who writes culinary mysteries and a whole passel of other genres. Check out her website. I happened on her by lucky accident and am in the process of reading her many works.

The first book in her “Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery” series is Killer Cupcakes. In the book Lexy has to solve the murder of her ex while running her bakery. She is suspected of killing the ex with poison in her signature bakery item, frosted cupcake tops. The book has the recipe  for chocolate espresso cupcakes and frosting. The cupcakes have too many ingredients for this month’s theme, but the vanilla butter frosting is delicious and does fit the criteria. Make the cupcakes on your own! Very good!

Unfortunately for you readers, I am not a cake decorator. Not only do I have to apologize for my photographic skills but also for my decorating non-talent. Apologies to Lee. Your recipe deserves better!

I have an embarrassing confession. This frosting is so good that I almost licked the empty bowl. I kept scraping up those little lines of frosting and eating them as I scraped. This recipe is my new forever-frosting. I can see me adding some Bailey’s Irish Cream, black cocoa powder, or some chocolate shavings. This frosting will take me through to the end of my baking days.

Knock Your Tops Off Cupcake Frosting (frosts 24 cupcakes)

2 sticks butter

3 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (can use vanilla extract)

Bake 24 cupcakes of your choice allow them to cool while you make the frosting

Cream the butter, confectioner’s sugar and salt.

Mix cream and vanilla paste and add little at time to butter mixture to desired consistency.

Cut off the tops of the cooled cupcakes right where the cupcake top meets the liner. I used a serrated bread knife. Frost the tops and refrigerate if not serving right away.

NOTE:

I cut off the tops and then experimented with fresh baked cupcake tops and ones that sat couple of hours. It was easier (for me) to frost the dryer cupcake tops because it was easier for me to handle them. I did keep some cupcakes intact.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up   He had a split reaction. He loved the frosting, but he wanted it on the whole cupcake. He didn’t like the proportion of cupcake to frosting. So, the next night I put a whole frosted cupcake on his dessert plate. He said, “Is it allowed to have two?” You betcha. He ate two whole cupcakes, which he never does!

If you liked this recipe, I’d really appreciate you spreading the word on your social media outlets. Here are some pre-made Twitter and Facebook posts you can use or modify.

Tweet: KILLER CUPCAKES frosting #recipe from @LeighannDobbsBooks on @Good2Tweat’s blog http://bit.ly/2kTNTUp

Facebook: Are you someone who loves the cupcake top more than the whole cupcake? Try cupcake tops with this delicious frosting from Leighann Dobbs’ Killer Cupcakes culinary mystery. http://sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-month-of-few-ingredients-knock-your.html