Birthday Weekend … with Cupcakes

It was a great Birthday Weekend … with Cupcakes … and Avocados

Angel Food Cake (in the video) from scratch is so much better than the store-bought version. Make your own and see for yourself!

If you’d rather skip my helpful tips, tricks, essential cooking information, and delicious similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card. It’s right there with a pretty bright yellow background.

Ain’t no party like a birthday party

Saturday night we had a block party in the rain, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better! The kids ran through the puddles, danced in the rain, and were drenched at some points.

The bounce house had to be deflated at one point because it looked like it was going to blow away. But, it got blown right back up as soon as the wind died down.

The streamers were soaked and soggy. Everyone had jackets on. It was so much fun. It was beautiful.

This tasty looking cupcake is actually not edible; it’s for the bath!

Happy times

The people at the block party were great. Nice people who laughed and joked; they played with balloons and streamers. They played with a toy dinosaur.

Every time I stopped and listened there was the laughter and chatting of people genuinely having a great time. No cares. No worries. Nothing dragging you down. Just a fun time. It was so nice.

What better gift for someone with guacarexia than home-grown avocados? Thanks Kathy!

We served Mexican Food!

There was lots of Mexican food (I’m still stuffed!). The taco bar was fabulous.

The food all tasted so good and the options seemed endless – chicken tacos, beef tacos, nachos, cheese enchiladas, guacamole (of course!), cheese, salsa (that salsa was REALLY good – maybe I’ll have to work on some sort of recipe for something similar; yummy yummy), and all the fixin’s.

And birthday cake with sparklers!

Of course, there was traditional delicious birthday cake – white cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

Instead of candles we had sparklers. That was great fun!

One sparkler for each birthday girl, and a sparkler for each of the birthday girl’s kids.

Real sparklers that looked fantastic. One was shaped like a heart; one was a star. The sparklers came from a cute little store called Heavenly Hostess.

Birthday Weekend … with Cupcakes

I decided that I wanted to make special birthday cupcakes for my friend.

So, I made two different kinds – Lemon Coconut minis with lemon-cream cheese frosting & chocolate cream cheese filled cupcakes.

They got great reviews from the other guests. The tastes were both really good.

The lemon ones were light and airy with a nice lemony tartness. I made the lemon cupcakes in a mini size so that you could have just a bite or two and feel happy inside without feeling stuffed.

And the chocolate ones were rich and creamy. And, these cupcakes aren’t bad for you – low in fat and high in taste.

Fun times

We stayed up late, laughing with friends and family. Joking. Talking. Eating too much. And, perhaps a drink or two were consumed. It was great.

Thanks especially to my husband for doing all that work. Thanks to my friend for having a birthday around the same time as me.

Birthday nachos

The next day, Dan took me for birthday nachos at my favorite Mexican place (yummy, more Mexican food!). Then we went for a walk on the beach. What a great day. What a great weekend! I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful life.

If you like seeing my recipes, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, and much, much more:

Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Birthday Weekend … with Cupcakes

Coconut lemon mini cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting

Mini Lemon Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

Print

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

These tart and sweet little cupcakes are going to be a family favorite

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cupcakes, lemon

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 32 mini cupcakes

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined. Fold in coconut.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or mini silicone cupcake molds three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 10-22 minutes (range is due to the difference in sizes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe Video

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Print

Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings 38

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese not low-fat or whipped, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add the butter and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
2. On low speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat for just a few seconds, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Don't over beat or you may thin the frosting.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 2 cups (or a little more frosting than you’ll need for the cupcakes)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Print

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Tasty and very impressive looking, these cupcakes are also really easy to make

Servings 24

Author Debi

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 ½ cups sugar divided use
• salt divided use
• 1 large egg
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons light flavored vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Spray the liners with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar, ¾ teaspoons salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla, and until smooth.
4. Fill each baking cup with two tablespoons of the cake batter, and top with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake until the edges are firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Makes 2 dozen