Monday, September 10, 2012

Hayden's 1st Birthday Cupcakes

Hayden celebrated his 1st birthday last Saturday, September 1st. We went up to Mount Bonnell for an evening picnic and to watch the sunset over Lake Austin. We didn't have a birthday party for him until a week later, but I did make him a batch of kid friendly cupcakes. You can't have a birthday and not have a cupcake, right? For that matter, you can't have a birthday and not lick the beater either! 

I debated between pumpkin, banana, carrot or apple his cupcakes. Mr. H doesn't love the first two so that left carrot cupcakes or apple cupcakes, except Hayden is kind of funny about textures in his food so I wasn't sure he'd like shredded carrots in his cake. And I was out of apple sauce. Enter his baby food- Plum Organics carrot and apple puree. It's delicious and worked perfectly in this recipe. You could use all carrot or apple if you prefer, but this is what I had on hand and it was a success. You could taste both fruits, but overall it was just like a moist and moderately sweet spice cake topped with a brown sugar and spice cream cheese frosting. It doesn't get much better than that! 





Carrot and Apple Spice Cupcakes from Monica h

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  • 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup carrot and apple puree (Plum Organics Baby Food)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars til fluffy and pale in color. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until the spices are fully incorporated. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, until well blended then add the maple syrup and vanilla and mix. 

Gently add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined but avoid overmixing the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula then add the pureed carrot and apple mixture. Stir until combined. 

Divide batter into 12 cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full. 
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool slightly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting with Brown-Sugar and Spice Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Brown Sugar and Spice Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Add the brown sugar and spices and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy. Use immediately. 

Makes 12 cupcakes. 

Our attempt at a family photo :-) Happy Birthday Hayden!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious! Happy Birthday to your sweet boy.

Becky said...

Happy Birthday Hayden! I can't believe how he's grown! It seems like I was just anxiously awaiting news of his arrival :)

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Aw, happy birthday to your adorable little man. Love the family picture at the end, and the cupcakes sound yummy!

Laura said...

you are even more adorable HERE than in person...well I've never met Hayden in person but you two are!!

Peggy Clyde said...

Happy birthday, Hayden. How could he be a year old already?

Jan said...

Happy Birthday Hayden! Wow 1 yr. old already! This just proves how fast a year goes by!

Coleens Recipes said...

I agree, its hard to believe he's a year old already!!! Seems like just a short time ago we were all praying for his safe arrival. Happy Birthday little man!!!

Debbie said...

Happy Birthday to Hayden! I can't believe it has already been a year. Wow....I still remember reading your posts when you had your doctor visits! (Hey, the cupcakes look good too...)!

Cassie said...

A YEAR already! Oh my goodness. Happy Birthday, handsome Hayden.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Happy Birthday cutie! And yes everyone should cupcakes on their birthday!

Abby said...

Seems like we were waiting for him to arrive just yesterday! He's such a beautiful boy. Happy Birthday, Hayden! I'm glad you had such a nice day together as a family!

Memória said...

¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, HAYDEN! :X

Valerie said...

Just wondering, do you have a facebook page? Love your recipes!

Foodiewife said...

What a perfect Fall cupcake you've created. I love Hayden's tuft of hair. Happy Birthday to the *H* family!

Laura said...

Adorable!!!!

Connie the Cookie Monster said...

look at his gorgeous eyes! happy 1st birthday hayden!

Paloma said...

Very delicious!!! yum! Those look soo good! Perfect way to welcome fall! ;) your baby is soo blessed... he has such a good mommy! Happy Birthday again! :) He is sooo cute! That's a great family photo :)

Kristi said...

Happy birthday Hayden!

Katie said...

Happy birthday to Hayden! Great idea to use the babyfood for the fruit puree. Tha family photo is lovely

Unknown said...

Hayden is so silly. I love the look on his face in the last picture :)

Happy Birthday Hayden :)

Julie said...

Happy first bday to Hayden! Where did the time go??

Jean said...

He is so cute! Happy birthday!

Emily said...

HHBD2U Hayden!

Heather at Kitchen Concoctions said...


These look like the perfect cupcake for a first birthday! I've seen several recipes over the years that use baby food and have wondered how they turned out. These look pretty darn tasty! Now I just have to get over eating baby food and make them! LOL! P.S. Beautiful family photos! Hayden is such a cutie!

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