Jose RamirezOh, how sweet it is!
With the Emmys approaching this weekend, there's much to celebrate—with the glamorous red carpet arrivals and exciting announcement of this year's winners all evening long.
And what better way to cheer on your favorite nominees than a sweet treat inspired by the top shows?
Casey Reinhardt (formerly of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and Cupcake Wars) now owns several successful bakeries called Casey's Cupcakes, and she's whipping up some adorable Emmys-themed treats inspired by Games of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Nashville and more for all to enjoy!
Check out these recipes below:
White Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
8 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 whole eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup maraschino cherries
4 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
2 cups mini white chocolate chips
1 3/4 pounds Casey's Buttercream, recipe follows
140 large pearls, for garnish
28 maraschino cherries, for garnish
Edible glitter, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.
Combine the cake flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one medium bowl. Crack the eggs into a second bowl and add the vanilla extract.
Measure the milk and half-and-half into a third bowl. In a 5-quart mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides using a spatula.
Turn the mixer on first speed, add the sugar, and mix until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Add sour cream and mayonnaise and incorporate completely. Scrape down the bowl. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with wet. You will start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix the batter until smooth and no lumps are present.
De-stem the maraschino cherries and squeeze out the excess liquid. Using a food processor, mince the cherries using the pulse button. Do not over process. Add the minced cherries, cherry juice, and white chocolate chips to the batter. Incorporate the ingredients completely using a spatula. Fill the cupcake liners using a 2-ounce scoop. Bake until golden brown and light and fluffy, 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.
To assemble: Place a round tip # 809 into a large piping bag. Fill the piping bag with Casey's Buttercream and generously pipe onto each cupcake.
Garnish each cupcake with one maraschino cherry and five large pearls. Finish by sprinkling edible glitter over the tops of the cupcakes.
Casey's Buttercream:
4 pounds butter, softened
8 ounces high ratio shortening (recommended: Sweetex)
8 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cherry liqueur
2 tablespoons lemon extract
1 tablespoons vodka
In a five-quart mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and shortening together. On first speed, add the sifted powdered sugar to the bowl in three parts. Let each part incorporate into the butter mixture before adding the next. After adding all the sugar, put the mixer on the fourth (highest) speed and mix for eight to 10 minutes. The buttercream will begin to gain volume and look white and fluffy. Once you bring the buttercream to full volume, add the extracts and vodka and incorporate completely.
Chili Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
5 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder
2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup low-fat milk
5 whole eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces sour cream
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Dark Chocolate Ganache, recipe follows
Edible gold dust
24 large sugar diamond
120 small sugar diamonds
Edible gold glitter
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.
Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, chile powder, cayenne, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a 5-quart mixer with a paddle attachment on first speed. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise.
Add the dry ingredients, one scoop at a time, allowing each scoop to be incorporated before adding the next. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down sides and bottom. Turn the mixer up to second speed and mix well. Turn the mixer off.
Add the chocolate chips and fold in by hand. Fill the cupcake liners using a two-ounce scoop. Bake for 15 minutes. Insert a skewer into the cupcake, if it comes out clean they are ready to be removed from the oven. Let cool completely before decorating.
To assemble: Place a star tip #849 in a large piping bag. Fill with Dark Chocolate Ganache and generously frost each cupcake. Mix equal parts gold dust with vodka to make an edible gold paint.
Using a small round brush, paint the edges of the ganache with the edible gold paint. Garnish by placing 1 large and 5 small sugar diamonds on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with edible gold glitter.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
2 1/2 pounds dark chocolate (recommended: Ghirardelli's)
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 pound butter, cubed
Make your own double boiler by filling a pot half way with hot water. Let the water come to a boil. Place a metal bowl over the pot, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
Put the chocolate in the bowl and stir to melt. When the chocolate is melted completely, remove from the heat.
Scald the cream in a pot over medium heat. Pour the heated cream over the melted chocolate and slowly incorporate; the chocolate will appear glassy. Add the butter, in pieces, to the chocolate. Mix until all the butter has melted.
Let set for one to two hours. The ganache is ready when it is a pipe-able consistency.
Yum!
—Reporting by Lauren Mendoza