Man Candy & Cupcakes

Here is a clip of the delicious Analmi who is a contender for the Castaway Cupcake Baker in our book. We think he’s hotter than July in Aruba. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Let us know any ideas you have for island-themed cupcake flavors you’d like to see too.

Our Badass Baker Lenny is an Italian Stallion who is handy with a spatula. This dessert don likes to exercise a little discipline in the kitchen and will take your cupcake fantasies 50 shades darker. He’s pictured here with an ice-cream cone cupcake (recipe below) that will melt your heart, just like Lenny. Don’t be fooled by this touch of vanilla, Lenny has some devilish desserts in store for you. Stay posted, we will be putting up some photos and a recipe from our Bad Boy Baker shoot soon!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes (Vanilla with Whipped Cream Frosting)

Makes 12

•  1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 flat-bottomed ice cream cones

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat just until the ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

4. Fill cones with batter, leaving space at the top. Do not fill to the rim or the batter will spill out while baking.

5. Stand cones in muffin pan cups and bake for about 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
• Multicolored sprinkles

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon onto ice cream cone cupcakes or pipe through a pastry bag to resemble soft-serve. Dress with sprinkles.

Note: If your kitchen is warm, place your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 30 minutes before making frosting. If the mixture gets too warm, it won’t form stiff peaks.

We are looking for the hottest guys in America to be featured in our upcoming Man Candy and Cupcakes cookbook. You don’t need to be a top-notch baker. As long as you are capable of opening a packet cake mix without getting paper cuts and have perfect pecs then you can be in the running to grace the pages of our abastic book.

If you think you can get the sparks flying in the kitchen, are between 18 and 35 and live in the US, then simply email a shirtless photo of yourself to mancandyandcupcakes@gmail.com to be considered for casting. Please put “Man Candy Casting” in your subject head and tell us your age, height and weight, your zipcode and your preferred cupcake flavor. Send in your pic now and see if you can make us salivate!

Nothing spells LUST like chocolate. This Valentine’s Day make it a culinary nuclear assault on his senses and serve him a chocolate martini coupled with a chocolate martini cupcake. Forget diets and carrot cake – they are for librarians. You will send him into a sugar coma with this decadent duo and he will be rendered helpless against your charms. This martini-driven menu has real ROI – limited investment for maximum romantic reward. It takes less effort than an average makeup blotter could cope with to make but will make him salivate more than a five star dinner. You can also use the rest of the whipped cream frosting and leftover strawberries for your morning after breakfast. Maybe buy an extra of Reddi-wip in case you decide to have some light and frothy fun later.

Chocolate Lust Martini

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce crème de cacao
• Cocoa

Rim a chilled cocktail glass with the crème de cacao and cocoa powder. (To do this, pour a small amount of crème de cacao into a bowl, dip in the cocktail glass to wet the rim and then dip the wet rim in cocoa.) Combine the vodka and crème de cacao in a shaker half filled with ice. Strain and serve in a martini glass.

Chocolate Lust Martini Cupcakes

• 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
•  2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
•  1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup crème de cacao
• 1 can of whipped cream
• 1 carton of strawberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a standard cupcake pan with cupcake liners or grease pan with butter or baking spray.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
3. Place the butter in a separate bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add the sugar; then beat on medium speed until well incorporated.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
4. Combine the vanilla extract and milk into a large liquid measuring cup.
5. Reduce speed on the mixer to low.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated.  Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by one third of the milk mixture.  Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Repeat again until flour and milk are both incorporated.
6. Add the cocoa powder, beating on a low speed until incorporated.
7. Add the Creme de Cacao, beating on a low speed until just incorporated.
8. Using a standard size ice cream scoop, fill each baking cup with butter so they are two thirds full.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
9. When the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool completely.
10. Frost the cupcakes with a squirt of whipped cream and top with a strawberry cut into the shape of a heart.

* If you are too lazy to make cupcakes from scratch, get a packet chocolate mix and swap out some of the liquid for ½ cup of crème de cacao