Bridal Shower Cupcakes

One of my best friends, Jackie, is getting married on June 14th. Yay! I, her matron of honor, along with the other maid of honor and the rest of the bridesmaids threw her a bridal shower this past weekend. It was such a blast and Jackie received so many wonderful gifts, including a lovely mouthful of bunny marshmallows from yours truly. Here is a picture of the ladies who helped plan the shower and Kate Mac.


We set out with the goal to make this shower as Jackie-friendly as possible, so we went with a theme that would be sure to please our lovely red-headed gal. As the invitation (also made by yours truly) promised, we were successful in showering Jackie with love, laughter, and the luck of the Irish--hence all the green in our attire. As coincidence would have it, even Jackie showed up wearing a green dress!

(here she is with her groom-to-be)

Green is Jackie's absolute favorite color and also one of her wedding colors, albeit a slightly less bold version of the color we are all wearing. Another one of the shower related jobs that I bestowed upon myself was to make the cupcakes. Obviously I went with Lemonade cupcakes as it is well known that Jackie loves lemony goodness almost as much as she loves the color green.

I began by making the stand that would hold these cupcakes. I purchased a plain cardboard stand, spray painted it bright yellow (her other wedding color), and outfitted the edges in green ribbon with white polka dots.

I also made a "cupcake topper" for the center cupcake on the display. I bought wooden letters--a "J" for Jackie, a "T" for Tim, her fiance, and a heart for love, obviously. I attached toothpicks to the letters and covered them in light green and gold glitter.


So, here is the recipe I used and then I will show how it looked once it was assembled. Oh, and by the way, I tripled this recipe because I needed to make 6 dozen cupcakes, but as it is printed, the recipe will yield 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 box white cake mix
1 (8 ounce) container of sour cream
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove 2 tablespoons lemonade concentrate from each can and dispose of the rest.
3. Combine remaining concentrate (2 tablespoons), cake mix, sour cream, cream cheese, and eggs.


4. Beat with mixer until well blended.
5. Fill paper muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full.
6. Into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


7. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

(just try to ignore the bottles of scotch in the background, haha)

I used this recipe for Vanilla Buttercream Frosting to ice these.

Here are some pictures of the whole thing put together:






I must day that I was (and am) pretty darn proud of myself. I received many compliments on how delicious the cupcakes were and one lady even offered to buy my cupcake stand from me. I just let her have it--the stand that is, not a piece of my mind. All in all it was a good, long hard days work all of which was well worth it to see the surprise on my Jackie's face and the tears in her eyes...and no one deserves it more. I love that girl!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Childhood memories. Not mine necessarily, but I'm sure these memories belong to someone. As for me, I just think they're cute. Ice cream cone cupcakes are actually extremely easy to make. I made them as a birthday present for my mother-in-law but spread their sweet, confectionery goodness around to a few other people. How many cupcakes can one person really eat anyway?

I had originally set out to pipe the icing on top in order to make them resemble soft serve ice cream cones, but my make shift pastry bag exploded. For years now I have refused to buy a real pastry bag and instead have used a simple ziploc with the corner snipped off. However, the last THREE times I tried to do this, the bag popped mid pipe causing not only frustration, but also non-piped icing. Darn store brand plastic bags. Alas, I have succumbed to the baking gods and will be going to Micheal's this weekend to purchase a bona fide pastry bad. I write this as I wipe away a tear shed at the loss of my ingenuity.


Enough about me...here's the recipe:
(p.s. I was way too lazy to bake these from scratch)

Ingredients:

1 box of cake mix, any flavor you like
water, vegetable oil, eggs according the box that your purchase
1 container of frosting

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place an ice cream cone in each well of a cupcake pan.
3. Fill each cone about 3/4 of the way full.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool completely.
6. Ice and decorate as you see fit!

So easy, a child could do it. Perhaps this is why they are such a birthday party staple.

There is just one problem with these cupcakes: the cake bakes inside the cones and therefore, cake can be found all the way down to the very bottom of the cone. While cake is good, it is perfectly complemented by icing. Yet, by the time you eat down to the lower half of the cone, the icing is a distant memory.

Next time I think I would tunnel a small vertical hole down the center of the cupcake and pipe in a little bit of icing so that its creamy goodness can be tasted throughout the entire experience. Probably easier said than done....

Happy Birthday Mom Ford!

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

The plan for this week was supposed to be Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes but they are for dinner on Saturday so I can't make them just yet. However, I still have the baking bug. The cure for this ailment turned out to be Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes.

The husband and I (especially the latter) are huge fans of cinnamon buns. The problem with them is that they take FOREVER to make. All that rolling and rising doesn't work out very well for a girl who, as we all know, severely lacks patience. Besides, my rolling pin and I still haven't made up from the last fight we got into. He's been banished to the dark drawer and perhaps one day soon will be allowed to grace me with his presence. But he hasn't earned that privilege yet. That is neither here not there.

As luck would have it, I stumbled about a recipe for Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread over at Baking Bites. I thought to myself: Self, there is no reason why we can't do a little experiment with this recipe and turn them into cupcakes. And that is exactly what I did. They turned out to be delicious although I wish you could have seen the look on my face when I opened the oven and it looked like a brown sugar explosion had occurred inside my oven. It's just as well because it could use a good cleaning anyway...Part of me is inclined to suggest lessening the amount of brown sugar used in the recipe but they just tasted so perfect that I think the brown sugar blowout and subsequent dishpan hands were well worth it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (about 1 minute in the microwave)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.

2. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk.

3. In a separate bowl, stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg together.

4. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, mix well, and spoon evenly into 12 well-greased cupcake pan.

5. Allow the pan to sit still for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile...

6. Mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl using a fork or your fingers until the butter is entirely incorporated and the mixture is crumbly.

7. After the dough has been resting for 15 minutes, divide the brown sugar mixture evenly over top of the unbaked cupcakes. Press the sugar into the dough with your fingers or use a butter knife two swirl it into the dough.

8. Place pan into an UNPREHEATED oven. Then, set the temperature to 350 degrees.

9. Total bake time will depend on your oven and how quickly it heats up. Mine baked for about 18 minutes. Just keep an eye in them until the center of each cupcakes springs back upon gently poking. Don't worry if the sugar on top still looks gooey.

10. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 30 minutes on a wire cooling rack.

Meanwhile...

11. Prepare the frosting by mixing the powdered sugar with the milk until it has reached your desired consistency.


12. Drizzle the icing over the cupcakes.

Voila:


***I ate two of them (for test purposes obviously) and they are definitely better when warmed slightly in the microwave...just a suggestion...

Because Everyone Fails Sometimes

In my last post, I declared that I would be making Cupcake Pops. And I tried. And I failed. Miserably. Here's what happened:

It all started out well enough. I baked a lovely yellow cake and whipped up a batch of vanilla icing. After the cake cooled, I crumbled it into a fine texture using my food processor. I smushed the icing into the cake, rolled them into balls, and stuck them in the fridge for a few hours. So far, so good.


However, that's where it all took a turn for the worse. I tried to use the flower cookie cutter to shape the base of the balls into a cupcake shape. Failed. The balls were too small or the cookie cutter was too big. Either way, tiny cupcakes just weren't going to happen. Time to move onto plan B: (Round) St. Patrick's Day Cupcake Pops.

So, I left the cake in ball form and decided to go from there. I melted the green candy melts over a double boiler, stuck lollipop sticks into the balls, and proceeded to dip.


Failed. The candy was too thick and just kept sliding off of the cake. The lollipop sticks kept coming out of the cake. The lollipops that did work wouldn't stand up straight in my temporary Styrofoam stand, so I had to put them flat down onto tin foil which would inevitable cause the top side of the cupcake pops to be flat. Then...when I tried to decorate them with sprinkles, the chocolate kept sliding down onto the foil causing the sprinkles to go with it. Failed.

This is what I ended up with:


I suppose that I could have continued in this manner and at the worst they would at least taste good, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wouldn't have been more embarrassed than proud to share these.

All is well and I'll be trying something new this week for my mother-in-law's birthday. She mentioned cupcake ice cream cones the other day, so I think that is what I will attempt to make for her this week. Hopefully the failures are all behind me.


Oh!! And I am going to Cold Stone Creamery this week specifically to try one of these:

Ice Cream Cupcakes!! Not only are these one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time, but they also look unbelievably delicious! I will let you know how good they...are all the while hoping that this doesn't turn into an unhealthy obsessions (or an extra 10 pounds).

I'm So Excited

And I just can't hide it. This week I am making Cupcake Pops:

I stumbled upon this picture and it was as if these cupcake bites spoke to me. Or rather begged me to bring them to life. They are going to be quite challenging, but I am so up for it. I think that I will make them more St. Patrick's Day oriented and bring them to a party I am going to on Friday night. I absolutely can't wait to share these.

Then next week, sushi is on the menu. Sushi cupcakes that is...sounds appetizing, huh??? Stay tuned!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Decadent. That is the only word that comes to mind....and delicious, delectable, definitely delightful. That's enough alliteration for one day. Or is it? Maybe there is something to Betty Crocker after all because these were freakin' fabulous! I got this recipe from my B.C. cookbook, but you can also find it online.

My mom had the husband and I over for dinner the other night while my niece was spending the weekend at her house. She made us shrimp scampi that was fantastic and I brought these brownies for dessert. I also brought them to The Ladies first Book Club meeting which was also spectacular. Although next time perhaps we should have a little less wine and a little more book talk. I digress....

Anywho, these come highly recommended by me and everyone else who had the pleasure of pleasing their palette with their gratifying goodness. I pretty much followed Betty's recipe except I decided to skip the chocolate frosting and substitute it for homemade chocolate ganache because something about this recipe just had to be from scratch or I couldn't live with myself. In the end, I think I made the right decision. It really made the difference and I learned how to do something new!



Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

1	box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch)
1/3	cup vegetable oil
1/4	cup water
2	eggs
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	egg

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray, or grease with shortening. Make brownie mix as directed on box, using oil, water and 2 eggs. Spread in pan.

2. Make cookie mix as directed on pouch, using butter and 1 egg. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter; press down lightly.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover with the chocolate ganache (recipe to follow) and cut into bars.

For the ganache:

1. In a small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 6 tbsp. butter until just before the boiling stage.

2. Pour over 12 oz. chocolate semi-sweet chips that are in a separate bowl.

3. Let stand for about 30 seconds and stir until everything is incorporated and smooth.

4. Pour over the brownies and allow to set before cutting. (This might take longer than you think)

Finally, pour yourself a BIG glass of milk (or wine) and try to eat just one!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

So, these would fall under the "everything nice" category. Clearly they aren't baked goods, but they were so yummy that I just had to share. Rumor has it that Asian Lettuce Wraps are the number #1 appetizer to order at P.F. Chang's, which happens to be one of the husbands favorite restaurants, but neither of us have actually had the restaurant's version despite their raving reviews. We have, however, been trying to eat much healthier, so I made these with ground turkey and they were a hit! Something we will definitely find a place for in our revolving menu. The other added bonus is that I, being such a picky eater, was forced to try a few new ingredients and (surprise, surprise) actually liked them!! Funny how that works...

Anyway, these are delicious!!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup instant brown rice
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped (i left these out)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil, mint and/or chives
1 large carrot, shredded

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

3. To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps.


mmm....i'm hungry just looking at this picture!

Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes

from Coconut and Lime


I don't eat doughnuts regularly, but when I do I tend to partake in the kind that have jelly on the inside....especially of the munchkin variety. These were pretty good--I would rate them a 6.5 out of 10. The cake part was very different than I am used to. It was very moist and actually kind of tasted like a doughnut. The husband told me that they taste exactly like jelly doughnuts. Now whether he was being honest or just boosting my confidence remains to be seen. You make them and let me know!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
½ cup milk
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

good quality red jelly (any flavor--i used raspberry)
powdered sugar ( i used regular sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour or line 8 wells in a cupcake pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg, vanilla, zest and milk beat well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until the batter is light and fluffy.
5. Fill each well 2/3 of the way filled.
6. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool on a wire rack and take a small corer, knife or melon baller and scoop out some of the center of the cupcake.
8. Fill with jelly (I just spooned it in).
9. Sprinkle with sugar.

My Darling Friend and Her Darling Blog

A Dining Darling

One of my very best friends has a blog of her very own. I will allow her to introduce herself:

I’m not a Food Expert, I just like to eat it. I also like to read about food, imagine great new recipes I can cook up, restaurants I need to visit, and fantasize about the kitchen I would have if I won the lottery. You better believe that there would be a Cuisinart Stand Mixer in that kitchen, and if they had one in pink, even better!

I am unabashed about my love of all things cupcakes, tea, and wine. I like red wine the most and am lucky in that it doesn’t turn my teeth and lips purple. If you try to call me at 10:00pm on Wednesdays, when Top Chef is on, I will most likely not answer my phone. I love comfort foods, and especially like finding lowfat alternatives for comfort foods.

Come eat with me!

So be sure to scope out her blog and follow her as she discovers the wonders of the food culture in Baltimore...

Lemon Sqaures

Normally, I am not a huge fan of lemon flavored things, but I have been a lover of lemon squares for as long as I can remember. However, I have never had them from scratch, my mom always went the boxed route. So, the other night I got the desire to bake something and as it turned out, lemon squares were the perfect choice for two reasons: 1) I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen and 2) I would be seeing my Jackie the next day and if anyone loves lemony treats, it's Jackie...

Speaking of Jackie...she alerted me the other day that she has a recipe to put up on my blog. So keep an eye out as she will be my first official guest blogger.

Now onto the luscious lemon squares....

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
4 eggs
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, separated
powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

2. Add the cubed butter to the flour and using your hands, combine the butter with the flour until you’re left with a crumbly mixture.



3. Press this mixture into a 9×13 pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.



4. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes or until just turning golden on the edges.

Meanwhile...

5. In a new bowl, combine the zest of 2 lemons and 1 1/4 cups of white sugar and rub them together until the zest is incorporated into the sugar.

6. Whisk or beat in the eggs and add the lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and whisk them in.


Once the crust has finished baking...

6. Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is set and doesn’t wiggle.


7. Remove the lemon bars from the oven and allow to cool COMPLETELY before sprinkling with powdered sugar and cutting.

These were absolutely delicious!! And I kind of wish I had one right now.

P.S. Did you notice that picture taking skills have improved? Well, not entirely. More like my photo touch-up skills have improved, especially for the pictures of the final product....mmmm, i'm salivating...

Valentine's Day Surprises

It seems that I have found myself with A LOT of free time on my hands lately. It's been almost 2 months since I graduated and I have yet to find a job--not even so much as an interview. I have turned to baking in order to distract myself from the unfortunate circumstances. I keep on applying and I keep on baking...I have all the time in the world.

Valentine's Day was this past weekend and I decided to make special treats for some of my lovely lady friends. Two of these ladies live on the West Coast so they only received cookies, but the ladies who live in my area received cookies AND cupcakes. Then I gave Tim the leftovers to take into work. And everyone got a handmade card (well, except for Tim's co-workers). I spent last Tuesday baking 2 dozen cupcakes and 9 dozen cookies. I present you with the fruits (sweets) of my labors:

Valentine Cupcakes:

Basically, I made a standard white cake mix. The twist, however, is that I added 2 tbsp. of sprinkles because I LOVE funfetti cake!!! Then I iced and decorated them in a special Valentine's way:

P.S. I found the cutest cupcake boxes in the world, but more on that later...

Valentine Sugar Cookies:

I'll be the first to admit that cookies are not my forte, but I decided to give them a whirl anyway. They aren't my best work. They were supposed to be heart shaped, but I got in a fight with the rolling pin and decided just to plop them on the baking sheet and go from there.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a larger bowl, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat again until well combined. Then beat in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture.
4. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours.
5. Drop onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned.
6. Allow them to cool completely and then ice them.

Icing:

2 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
3 or 4 tablespoons of water
few drops of food coloring

1. Mix the sugar and water together until desired consistency is reached.
2. Spoon or spread (depending on consistency) over completely cooled cookies.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies


Ingredients:

12 oz. white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
seedless raspberry jam
1/2 tsp. shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. Set aside. In a heavy small saucepan melt 4 ounces of the white chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer about 30 seconds or until softened. Add the sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and melted white chocolate chips until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Stir in the 4 more ounces of white chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough from a rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

4. Melt the raspberry jam in a small saucepan over low heat. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam atop each cookie. In a heavy, small saucepan combine the 3 ounces white baking bar and shortening. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle each cookie with some of the melted mixture. If necessary, refrigerate cookies about 15 minutes or until chocolate mixture is firm.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Now here are the little packages I put together for my ladies:

And these are the cards I made :)

All in all, I think everyone enjoyed them...except Kate because she still hasn't gotten hers. All in good time, even though that makes for stale cupcakes, haha!!