ICE-8: CHOCOLATE/YELLOW BUTTERMILK SWIRL TRAIL MIX CUPCAKES

This month's Iron Cupcake Earth's secret ingredient is: Nuts and Seeds. Oh how I love the combination of nuts and seeds; which leads me to trail mix. Have I ever expressed my deepest love for trail mix? Well, here it goes. I love love love trail mix. I love the combination of salted mixed nuts with raisins, chocolate pieces, sunflower seeds and dried fruit creating the quintessential handful of goodness. For this cupcake, I made a chocolate and yellow buttermilk swirled cake and topped it with a dark chocolate fudge buttercream. When I swirled the buttercream I left a whole in the middle and filled it with price club's very own trail mix.

The cake portion of this cupcake was so delicious. I loved the combination of the chocolate cake with the yellow buttermilk cake. The burst of chocolate from the cake and buttercream was tamed by the soft buttery yellow cake. It was perfect.

Voting begins Sunday March 29th @ 8pm(central) and ends April 3rd @ Noon at No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner. Vote for me!

TRAIL MIX CUPCAKES:

For the Yellow Cake:

• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 9 ounces (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs plus 3 large yolks, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Mix remaining wet ingredients in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each full.
3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

For the Chocolate Cake:

• 3/4 cup(s) Unsweetened Cocoa
• 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup(s) sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup(s) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/3 cup(s) milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk (starting and ending with the flour mixture), while mixing on low speed. Continue to mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. I don't remember how long I baked the cupcakes for-just keep an eye out. It was somewhere in the 15-18 minute range.

For Dark Chocolate Fudge Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup hot fudge topping
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Cream together the butter or margarine with the shortening.
2. Sift the cocoa with the confectioners' sugar and add to the creamed mixture. Mix together adding 1 tablespoon at a time of milk to keep mixture smooth. Don't add more than 1/4 cup of milk.
3. Add the hot fudge topping and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy.

To Assemble:
Swirl chocolate cake and yellow butter cake in cupcake liner. Bake. Once cooled, top with buttercream and trail mix. Enjoy!

March ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• A Bunnycake Easter Plushie by DOGBONEART, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21636297.
• A whimsical piece by CAKEASAURUS, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5729584.
  
• as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
• a collection of all new printed cupcake liners, 200 in all from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
  
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com . And as a special thank you, we would like to once again thank DIANAEVANS - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5599270 for her participation in the February challenge. An incorrect link was posted and we want to be sure that she gets the recognition she deserves. Thanks again Diana!