Chocolate-Coffee Cake Pops

Red, White & Blue!!

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Independence Day than with a little family BBQ, fireworks, & some festive CAKE POPS. For me, it was one last get together before I headed off to Los Angeles to start my big girl job. That’s right, my days of moping on blog posts & being unemployed are soon to be of the past. I’m hoping my new employment status doesn’t equate to a hiatus from the blog world, so I’ll make an effort to continue with the kitchen adventures every now & then. Might be kind of hard without my mom’s nifty Canon on hand to take pictures! Happy Belated 4^th of July!! XOXO....little j Y

Chocolate-Coffee Cake Pops

*Makes 50-60+ depending on size

1 box Devil’s Food Cake mix {+ eggs, oil, H20, 2+ Tbsp instant espresso}

¾ tub Whipped Cream Cheese frosting

1 lb. bag dark chocolate candy melts {2 lbs if you plan on making a lot!}

2-3 tsp instant espresso + more to your preference

4-inch lollipop sticks

sprinkles for decorating

Use the Red Velvet Cake Pops' recipe as a guide. Add instant espresso to cake batter before baking. Add more instant espresso to dipping chocolate during the melting process. Make sure cake dough has hardened a bit in the fridge/freezer before attempting to dip in chocolate. You’ll know it’s not cold enough if the cake keeps falling of the stick. Dip, decorate with sprinkles, set aside to harden & enjoy!!

festive Cake Pops!

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Muffins

This past Mother’s Day we celebrated with a special brunch at CUPS Culinary. The goal was to get my Mother more in touch with her inner Betty Crocker, with this hands-on class where everyone was responsible for making a dish to contribute to the brunch. Luckily for her, the brunch turnout was overbooked and the food stations were a little crowded. Therefore, we {as in--my sister & I} were left with a quite simple egg dish to prepare. So rather than slaving away in the kitchen that morning baking these muffins, my mother spent her time snapping photos instead—something she’d rather be doing anyway! :) Mission not quite accomplished, but we had fun anyway. Still love these muffins the second time around & plan to use the base of this recipe again for other muffins too. Give 'em a try! 

XOXO....little j Y

Mother, Belle & Myself {not a fan of my "low pony" look!!}

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from: Michelle Ciccarelli, Owner of Cups Bakery

*Makes about 22 muffins

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temp

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs, at room temp

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup heavy cream (*milk used in original recipe)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed & picked through for stems

zest of one lemon (*meyer lemons used in original recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in muffin pan.

Cream butter and sugar in mixer for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on low. Add vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream and mix until blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans, filling to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until muffins are lightly browned. Let cool.

Lemon Glaze

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

fine zest of one lemon

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp

Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds.  Whisk & continue to heat at 30-second intervals if needed. Pour atop muffins before serving.