Oh So Simple

Almond Cookies w/ Honey Glaze

 

Cookie Recipe

2 ~ C. ~ Finely Ground Almonds
1 1/2 ~ C. ~ Pastry Flour
1 ~ C. ~ Sugar
1 ~ C. ~ Butter (softened)
2 ~ L. ~ Eggs
1 1/2 ~ C. ~ Vanilla Extract

 

Honey Glaze

2 ~ T. ~ Honey
1 ~ t. ~ Water
1/2 ~ C. ~ Powdered Sugar

Mix It, Bake It, Glaze It, Eat It

Its as simple as that!
Let's get started!

Good Morning

Everything tastes better when its homemade!

Sweet Blueberry Muffins

with a

Crunchy Streusel Topping

Sweet Spot

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

1 ~ C. ~ Brown Sugar
1/2 ~ T. ~ White Sugar
1/2 ~ C. ~ Coconut oil
1 ~ T. ~ Butter (softened)
2 ~ L. ~ Eggs
1 ~ T. ~ Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 ~ C. ~ Pastry Flour
1/2 ~ t. ~ Salt
1 ~ t. ~ Baking Powder
1/4 ~ t. ~ Baking soda
1 1/2 ~ C. ~ Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 ~ C. ~ Coconut

 

 

Preheat oven to 375°F

Use a stand mixer to cream both sugars, oil & butter. Incorporate eggs & vanilla.

In a separate mixing bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder & baking soda. Toss in the chocolate chips & coconut.
 

 

Now combine all ingredients. Don't over mix.

I used a tablespoon to measure out even scoops onto baking sheets.

Leave a couple inches between each scoop.

Yields 26-34 cookies.

Bake 5-8 minutes. I rotate my sheet pans after 4 minutes.

 After the cookies get a nice golden edge remove from oven.

Let sit for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

 

 

I am so pleased with how these turned out. Soft, chewy & a little cakey.

Give the recipe a try and tell me if you love them as much as I do!!

 

Always!

Perfect Match

Peanut Butter Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

They are like two peas in a pod & when paired together it is heavenly.

I am excited to share with you, so let's dive in!

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Line cupcake tins (12-15)

Peanut Butter Batter

1  C.   Pastry Flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4  C.   A.P. Flour
2  T.   Baking Powder
1/2  t.   Baking Soda
1/2  t.   Salt
1/3  C.   Canola Oil
1/3  C. + 1  T.   Peanut Butter (natural)
3/4  C.   Brown Sugar
2  Large   Eggs
1  t.   Vanilla Extract
1  C.   Buttermilk

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2  C.  Heavy Whipping Cream

4  T.  Butter (softened)

8  oz.  Cream Cheese (softened)

1/4  t. Vanilla Extract

1/4  C.  Cocoa Powder



Let's Bake!

Two For One

So I had some extra lime frosting leftover from the

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes.

I'm thinking Raspberry Cupcakes would pair nicely with the lime frosting.

Check back to find out how it goes!!

Or feel free to leave your thoughts.

What should I do with the extra frosting?

 

Frosting vs. Icing

 

Frosting is thick & fluffy. 

It has a creamy butter taste.

Typically used to cover cakes and cupcakes.

 

 

 

 Icing is thin & runny.

It has a smooth sugary taste.

Typically used as a glaze for bundt cakes or cookies.

 

 

But let's be honest. Both are divine with any sweet treat!

Thirst Quencher

If I may say so myself... These cupcakes turned out amazing.

Moist cherry cupcakes with tangy lime cream cheese frosting. It's my favorite Sonic beverage in fluffy cupcake shape!

I know you want these in your kitchen, so let's get started.

 

Cherry Cupcake Batter

1  C.   Pastry Flour (I used whole wheat)

1/4  C.  A.P. Flour
1 ¼  Tsp.  Baking Powder
1/2  Tsp.  Baking Soda
1/2  Tsp.  Salt
1/3  C.  Oil
4  Tbl.  Butter (softened)
3/4  C.  Sugar
2  Large  Eggs
1/2  C.  Buttermilk
1/4  C.  Cherry Juice
1 ½  Tsp.  Vanilla Extract
1 ½  C.  Cherries (chopped)

Lime Frosting

1/2  C.  Heavy Whipping Cream

4  Tbl.  Butter (softened)

8  Oz.  Cream Cheese (softened)

1/4  Tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Tbl. Lime Juice (I used fresh)

2  Tsp. Lime Zest


Preheat oven to 350°F
Prepare cupcake pan with 12-15 liners

Now for the fun part...

Finally

Cinnamon Cake with Apple Compote & Brown Sugar Buttercream

Don't you just hate when a delicious pie has a soggy crust or sticks to the dish. I want the spiced apple insides with a moist cinnamon cake. The end result gives you a wonderful mix between pie and cake. Big smiles all around!

 

Cinnamon Cake Recipe

1 ~ Cup ~ ~ Cake Flour
½ ~ Cup ~ ~ All Purpose Flour
½ ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Baking Powder
1 ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Baking Soda
¼ ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Salt
1 ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Nutmeg
1 ~ Tablespoon ~ ~ Cinnamon
½ ~ Cup ~ ~ Butter (softened)
¾ ~ Cup ~ ~ Sugar
2 ~ Large ~ ~ Eggs
1 ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Vanilla
¾ ~ Cup ~ ~ Milk

 

Brown Sugar Buttercream

8 ~ Tablespoons ~ ~ Butter (softened)
2 ~ Tablespoons ~ ~ Heavy Whipping Cream (cold)
3 ~ Tablespoons ~ ~ Brown Sugar
¼ ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Cinnamon
2½ ~ Cups ~ ~ Powdered Sugar (sifted)

Apple Compote

3 ~ Medium ~ ~ Apples
½ ~ Cup ~ ~ Water
½ ~ Tablespoon ~ ~ Cinnamon
1/3 ~ Cup ~ ~ Sugar
2 ~ Tablespoon ~ ~ Brown Sugar
¼ ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Nutmeg
¼ ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Apple Pie Spice

Now for the fun part

Show your Mom some Love

Bake her a cake for her special day

Homemade with love is always the best!

Sonic Drive-In

I love the Cherry Limeade.

A little Sweet. A little Tart.

How about a cherry cupcake with lime frosting?!?!

Check back tomorrow :)

 

One Two Step

OK, maybe a few more than two.

I want to show you how to level, fill, assemble, frost and decorate a cake. Lots of pictures for you, woohoo!!

 

 

~ Things you'll need ~

~ Cake
~ Frosting
~ Cooling rack
~ Parchment Paper
~ Bread knife
~ 9in. & 13in. Offset Spatula
~ Pastry bag
~ Decorating tips (#12, #21, #48)

 

 

Step 1 ~ Bake the Cake! Do not skip this step! :)

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then, cool on a rack lined with parchment paper (for easy transportation) for about 15 minutes. If the cake is too warm it will want to fall apart. No good. Just wait.

 

 

Step 2 ~ Level that Hump

As much as I love those beautiful humps on my cupcakes, it's a no no in cake land. You'll want to use your bread knife to level off the top. Place one hand (not the holding the knife) palm down on top of the cake. Take the hand with the knife and slowly cut horizontally across the top. Similar to butterflying a chicken breast or cutting through a bagel. Save the top for the sneaky hands in the kitchen when a cake has just come out of the oven!

 

 

Cupcakes Are Mesmerizing

Piece of Pie, Piece of Cake

My mind has been bursting with ideas of how to deconstruct delicious treats I enjoy and turn them into cupcakes. 

Lately apple pie ideas have been following. I know there are recipes for apple cake but, I am thinking a cinnamon cupcake filled with apple cinnamon compote and icing lattice work to complete the apple pie look. Mmmm, maybe cinnamon & nutmeg icing. Oh yum. Just image this lovely pie in cupcake form! I would love to hear any suggestions about treats you would like me to turn into a cupcake. It will be fun!! ;) Check out tomorrow's post to see just how my apple pie cupcakes turn out.  

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut

I know I do! Over the weekend I had a craving for Almond Joy. Then I thought how yummy it would be to turn one of my favorite candy bars into a cupcake. Yup, this is happening!

I thought maybe a coconut cupcake with chocolate frosting and chopped almonds. Then I remembered a delicious chocolate cupcake recipe I have on hand and thought I could add coconut flavoring. Whip up some coconut cream cheese frosting, add some almonds maybe in the batter. Oh so delicious.

Below is the chocolate cupcake recipe, along with the cream cheese frosting recipe. Everything you'll need to enjoy an Almond Joy cupcake.

Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

3 ~ Cups ~ ~ Sugar
2 3/4 ~ Cups ~ ~ Pastry Flour
1 1/8 ~ Cups ~ ~ Cocoa Powder
1 1/4 ~ Teaspoons ~ ~Baking Powder
2 1/4 ~ Teaspoons ~ ~ Baking Soda
1 1/2 ~ Teaspoons ~ ~ Salt
3 ~ Large ~ ~ Eggs
1 1/2 ~ Cups ~ ~ Milk
3/4 ~ Cup ~ ~ Canola Oil
2 ~ Teaspoons ~ ~ Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 ~ Cups ~ ~ Coffee (freshly brewed, cooled)
1/4 ~ Cup ~ ~ Coconut Rum
1 ~ Cup ~ ~ Almonds (raw, rough chopped)
*Yields 36 Cupcakes

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 ~ Cup ~ ~ Butter (softened)
8 ~ Ounces ~ ~ Cream Cheese (softened)
4 ~ Cups ~ ~ Powdered Sugar (sifted)
1 ~ Teaspoon ~ ~ Vanilla Extract
2 ~ Teaspoons ~ ~ Coconut Extract
1 ~ Cup ~ ~ Coconut (sweetened, finely chopped)

Let's get started

It's Cupcake Tuesday

 

 

 

Everyone Wants to Lick the Bowl

 

Woohoo, It's Monday 

Said No One, Ever

Have a Cupcake
Heck, have a few. 

For the past 3 days a burglar has broken into my home. 

The odd thing is the burglar takes only one thing each day.

The first day my strawberry cupcakes went missing.

The second day my lemon cupcakes were gone

The third day my double chocolate cupcakes disappeared.

But one the third day something was left behind on the empty cupcake platter.

A note. It was from the burglar.

I should get started. 

I don't want other items to go missing.

I wonder how many I should bake.

While I've got your attention check out the rest of my blog.

Decorate and eat cake!

My Humps

Lately I've noticed a lot of posts and tips on how to get the perfect cupcake dome.

On Pinterest I've seen a couple posts and always re-pin to save and test out later. Who doesn't want perfect humps? I know I do! But with so many tricks floating around how do you choose which one will actually work. I got curious last night and decided to find out in my own kitchen. I used the two ways I already had saved and found another two from a google search. Let me share my results from four different methods on how to achieve the Snooki poof in cupcake land.

Test #1: Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, preheat & bake @ 400°F for 22 minutes

As you may have already noticed this test batch came out a little on the burnt side. The high temperature didn't do as promised. The post said the high temperature would set the outer edges causing the inside to rise and form the rounded top. In my test it just caused the cupcake to brown faster than the inside could bake. No good.

Genius

(Insert evil laugh here!)

Newbie Blogger

So I am super new to this whole blogging world. So new... that I am doing this for a class assignment. So... new that I really don't have blogs I follow. 

There is a Facebook page a follow (kinda), MRobin Cake Design. Marcella Robin's name was given to me by one of my instructors, Chef White, at Oregon Culinary Institute. MRobin cakes are so creative and an amazing new take on cake design. The decoration that she uses is part of the cake. It is something I've never seen before and it truly fascinates me.

The MRobin Cake Design website has a video a how she creates these unbelievable cakes. As well as everything you need to know to order a cake of your own. Based on a personally consultation, she provides two custom cake designs for you to choose from. How exciting is that?!? I would want to take a ton of pictures before diving into the delicious filling.

Perfect for Details

Notice the shallow ridges.

Isn't as dramatic as a closed star tip, but still has a great look.

One tip, so many possibilities.

~ Borders ~

~ Rosettes ~

~ Texture ~

 ~ Rope ~ 

~ Scroll ~

Play around and have fun.

Practice with parchment paper on the counter top.

When you're done, squeeze back into bag & save for another practice day.

Happy decorating!

 

Tips and Cake Decorating

When it comes to icing and cake decorating you need to arm yourself with some invaluable tools. Nails, levelers, couplers, and sealing spray. It starts to sound like a shopping list for Home Depot. Which can be overwhelming. How do you choose which tool to use? Below is a list of tools for beginners to get you started.

The Icing Spatula: Whipping and Mixing

This comes in a variety of sizes. Ranging from 4" to 14". Typically with an offset so your fingers didn't end up in the icing. Their main purpose is to spread a substance onto a flat surface. Sometimes referred to as a "palette knife" and may also have a serrated edge.

When it comes to frosting a cupcake a 4" offset spatula works best. It gives you the detail ability you need for small items. It also allows you to control the amount of icing being applied. If you want to decorate a cupcake without a bag and tip use this tool.

There are even cake specific spatulas. The larger 14" offset spatula. You can glide over the top of a 9" round cake with ease. Then run it along the side of the cake for a smooth and even look. It is a wonderful tool for icing, transferring, and even cutting.

The Pastry Bag: Shaping and Decorating

There are many ways to make a pastry bag. You can purchase the plastic, disposable bags. You can use a plastic lunch baggie and cut a smaller corner in the bottom off for the icing. You can make a small cone out of parchment as a temporary bag. Or you can use washable cloth bags. They are wonderful for the non stop icing decorator. You just throw them in the wash and voilà, good as new.

It's primary function? To form a substance into a particular shape. You want to shape meringue, use a pastry bag. You want to shape funnel cakes, use a pastry bag. You want to pipe beautiful, edible flowers, use a pastry bag. You want to fill a donut with jelly, use a pastry bag. Ok, I think you get the point. The pastry bag can be helpful in many ways.

The Tips: Decorating with Icing

Spoiled :)

My Hubby's birthday 

Pineapple Upside Down 

cake. 

So so so delicious. 

My tips:

~ Use a well seasoned cast iron skillet.

~ Don't skimp on the butter and 

brown sugar.

~ Replace the water with pineapple juice in the cake recipe. 

~ Let cake cool for about 10 minutes before turning onto platter.

~ Slice and serve warm to those you love.

Something New

Any Way Works

9 Most Popular Ways To Eat A Cupcake

From the Dumb & Ridiculous to the Hacked & Mind-blown

#9 ~ The "Dainty" Eater

Sometimes I want to smack a person.

Especially when I see them eating a cupcake

with a fork. I mean come on.

There is no need for that nonsense.

 

#8 ~ The "Nibble" Eater

You've seen this person.

They don't want frosting on their face.

People may look at them funny.

Guess what, you look ridiculous eating like that.

Stop It! Right Now!

#7 ~ The "Lady and the Tramp" Eater

"I just want a bite of the cupcake, will you share?"

WHAT...?

Hell No...

 I want my own and then maybe another.

#6 ~ The "No Hands" Eater

Some people just can't help themselves.

Who can blame them.

Smashing your face into a plate of cupcakes just feels good sometimes.

 

#5 ~ The "Icing Hog" Eater

I mean the icing is the best part.

The cupcake just makes us feel better than digging our finger into a bowl of icing.
Although
there is no shame in licking the accidental icing mess off your fingers. 

 

#4 ~ The "Cat Attack" Eater

That's right...

Even your furry friend will eat these delicious goodies.

They call out to all living things, "Eat Me, Eat Me!"

~ Now I know you want the Top 3, don't ya ~

yupperz

Hello Lova

Cupcakes are delicious. Hello.

It's like eating a tasty cloud topped with sweet goodness. Instead of hugs, people should just hand out cupcakes. No one would ever have a bad day. Cupcakes are amazing.

No plate, No fork, No mess.

Who wants to use a plate and fork, make a mess, then clean up. No thanks. I'll use my hands. It is just so damn easy to grab a cupcake as you walk by and before you know it you've eaten four in forty five minutes. Danger zone.

Don't forget the Icing

I mean lets face it everyone wants the icing. The cupcake is just an excuse to eat the sweet, sweet swirls. Just sitting there staring at you. There are so many design options. Over 100 tips. How do you choose. Don't. It's simple.... Just make enough cupcakes for each tip design. Problem Solve. You're welcome. Now go.... Go decorate and eat cupcakes. Thank you, come again!

Happy Earth Day

Start here...