Bakerella

Check out the new bakerella.com

2009-09-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have a new website design up and running. I've moved the site from blogger to wordpress with the hope that I can offer more options when it comes to functionality. For instance, you'll find several ways to search for past posts (ex: by photo, most recent, chronological, topics and even by theme) I hope you like it.

Here's the new link:

www.bakerella.com

Time to open presents

2009-09-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Remember these? That's right. We opened them. And, let me just tell you. Somebody needs to invent a stronger word for cute. Because what's inside these boxes… cute… just doesn't do them justice.

I waited for my little helper to come visit again before I opened mine. But, you knew I was going to do that anyway, didn't you?

I let her open first. She was so excited. But of course she would be. Receiving a totally unexpected gift is always fun.

Oh, the suspense. What is it? Tear open that bubble wrap will you. And, hurry it up. I can't wait.

Oh, I think it's a doll.

Yes, it's a precious little lolli doll. Can you stand it?

Okay. Okay. My turn. Move over.

While I opened my box, she took the opportunity to accessorize her doll with ribbon from the wrapping.

Of course.

Then, I quickly removed it for a photo session. (Sorry, sweetie.)

Just look at her doll. So adorable and wait… she's even holding a tray of cake balls.

Now, what did I get?

Me? I'm a doll, too … and with my own little tray of cake balls. I think I will explode from all the cuteness.

But… it gets even cuter.

Wanna see?

Can you handle it?

Are you sure?

Okay then, you can look…

There's even a dessert table complete with cake pops. It's like a miniature scene from an Amy Atlas event.

Life support, please. Crash cart anyone? I may not make it.

Just look at it from the other side. Somebody has really tee-niny hands to work so small.

There's even a Bakerella sign. Okay, that did me in.

But wait, something's missing.

Okay, that's better… I almost forgot about you. The desserts distracted me.

Now. Perfect.

Thanks Lollipop Workshop for the sweet surprise. You really, REALLY made our day!

Check out the Lollipop Workshop etsy store.
She makes custom pieces like these in addition to the ones from the cupcake topper giveaway.

Mini Maple Pancake Muffins

2009-09-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

… with chocolate chips I might add. Ever get a taste for pancakes, but don't feel like flipping?

I do. Especially since I always seem to be the one still flipping while everyone else gets to eat the first ones off the pan. If I had a bigger griddle, it would probably be ok. But I have a little one and usually end up frying one pancake at a time to make sure they look decent… which takes for ever.

But not this way. Try these laborless baked pancake muffins. Hmmmmmm… Puffins anyone?

Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins.
(Someone please come up with a shorter name for these.)

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.
Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

Using a small bowl to serve the syrup in makes it really convenient to coat the muffins in maple.

See. Just dunk them right in.

Wait, let's look at that again…

Yuuu-uuuum!

But, they're even tasty all by themselves.

And, if you don't want chocolate chips…

… just leave them out.

But, the chocolate lover in me prefers the chips.

Enjoy!

One more thing… I'm hoping that sometime in the next week or so, you'll get to see a new design for www.bakerella.com. I'm planning on moving the site from blogger to self-hosting it on wordpress. I've loved being on Blogger, it's super easy and user-friendly, but I'm hoping to offer more functionality with a different platform. There will be more ways to navigate around the site and search for instance - which many of you have asked for. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, smoothly. But, don't be surprised if the site has a few hiccups along the way. Stay tuned … and if you already link to www.bakerella.com instead of www.bakerella.blogspot.com - you're already ahead of the game.

A peek inside General Mills

2009-08-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

I spent a little over 24 hours in Minneapolis last week. It has to be the shortest trip I've ever been on, and at the same time, the most jam-packed.

I'll just warn you, turn away now if you don't like looking at other people's trip photos. But, stick around if you want a little peek behind the scenes of a baking giant. I'll keep the commentary short.

General Mills hosted about 50 bloggers to come to their international headquarters in Minnesota for their first ever Eat & Greet.

They've been around forever, but I guess they're kinda new to social media and were putting their foot in the door with this event. I'm not completely sure how they picked who they picked to attend, but I'm glad their PR company invited me. And actually when they said we would be visiting the Betty Crocker test kitchens, well… I was sold.

They flew us in on Wednesday in time to attend a reception dinner at the Mill City Museum that evening.

The museum, which actually used to be an old mill, was downtown and right on the Mississippi River.

Across the way you can see a hint of the Pillsbury Mill Building.

Inside was set up for dinner and socializing.

I didn't know anyone. No one. So I was happy to meet another food blogger. This is Jenny from Picky Palate and so super sweet.

Before dinner we were able to tour the Museum. Lots of cool General Mills and Betty Crocker memorabilia. Anyone have one of these Easy-Bake Ovens from 1972 or a Betty Crocker mixer?

There was an interactive journey chronicling flour milling and its impact on Minneapolis through an eight-story Flour Tower Elevator Tour which was pretty cool. Don't have pictures of that. I know… you're disappointed.

Here we are making each other pose with pancakes.

Photo ops, taste-testing, flour feeling and then home to the hotel.

The next morning. Early. We packed our stuff and headed off to General Mills. I have to say everything COMPLETELY exceeded my expectations.

We were greeted by the Doughboy right when we walked in the door.

The entire building or buildings I should say were beautiful. They had graphic details like this everywhere. Who else wants a word wall? Me. I do. I do.

They had memorabilia exhibits, including Betty, the Green Giant, Wheaties and on and on.

These old advertisements make me smile.

As soon as everyone was in the building, we had a quick bite for breakfast.

This is Anna from Cookie Madness, Megan from Megan's Munchies, Jenny from Picky Palate and Nicole from Baking Bites.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Betty Crocker Kitchens, here we come.

This is a view of just part of the kitchens from an observation floor above. There are 19. Nineteen. Nine. Teen. Kitchens.

And excuse me, but look at that view.

The Trix Bunny and Lucky Charms guy took pictures with everyone. Hi Amy!

Doing double duty here. Filming Jenny with her new Flip camera (everybody got one) and trying to take still pics at the same time. And, she's trying to grab as many box top coupons while keeping her dress from flying up. Guess we were both doing double duty.

Then, this next part was like getting free samples in the grocery store… but on steroids. New cereals and …

gluten free cereals to sample…

Nut Clusters, Yoplait Smoothies, Parfait Delights, Fiber One Muffins.

Why did they even serve us breakfast. I was stuffed.

These two were always nearby hamming it up.

Bruschetta…

Oh … if you watch the Food Network you should know who this is. Ask Aida was there to answer questions. This is the best photo I have where she's also smiling. Sorry for the blurriness.

More sampling and photo taking with Mel, A Dramatic Mommy.

A little blogging in between. Not me. I didn't even bring a computer.

Here's that pesky rabbit again. He thinks he's being funny with the bunny ears. Okay, so it was pretty cute.

Did I mention, we were also allowed behind the scenes of the brand new photography studios?

This was my favorite part. I could have spent the whole day… week… month here.

As you enter, you're greeted by a gallery of images. Photographers are given free license to create artwork using general mills products. These were just a few I was able to snap a pic of.

Next was the prop room. How they can choose just the right white plate, I don't know.

Here's sweet Megan with Hungry Girl. You know, the NYT Best Selling author of 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories. Okay, please say you don't know who she is. I didn't. But it's probably because I eat at McDonald's.

And finally, lights, camera, action.

Their proofing system is pretty amazing. They can look at photos on the fly. That's a still camera on the right, not a video camera by the way. It takes a 98 meg file. That's ginormous!

This is the food stylist's tool kit. Love it!

Food bloggers getting tips from a food photographer. They even handed us their business cards. Big mistake.

The photographers take all the photos for all the recipes, magazines, cookbooks and packaging.

And hearing the stories of how they'll choose just the right brownie for a single shot, it's no easy task.

Their work is beautiful though and here's their website portfolio to prove it.

After the photo tour, we started wrapping things up. Lunch, the company gift store, and then a shuttle to the airport by 2:00 p.m.

General Mills was incredible. The people, the campus, the culture. If you live in Minneapolis, run and apply for a job. Now.

In addition to their programs and products, they have an on-site restaurant, cafeteria and Caribou Coffee for employees.

They have a grocery store, childcare services, banking services, doctor's office, dry cleaners, hair salon, photo lab, fitness center and gas station, all on the premises.

Seriously, it's like being in a mall.

And any minute, I expected to turn the corner and find a Lucky Charms Leprechaun Land amusement park complete with rainbow roller coaster.

But alas, there was only this outdoor seating and some pretty amazing views.

Here's the store that carries all the General Mills products. I even spotted some Teriyaki-flavored Chex Mix. Cool.

In addition to the corporate store and convenience store, they also have the cutest gift shop.

You can find all kinds of gifts from baby toys…

… to even squirrel underpants. Gotta love this place.

Their name says it all.

2009-08-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I wish I could pipe this pretty. Really. I have shaky hands. I just can't do it - especially those short little curls.

It's official - I must practice. Maybe a post on piping one day and you'll see what I mean… and laugh.

These cupcakes totally lived up to their name, though. You're wondering where 952 is aren't you?

Well, it's in Minnesota and totally not near me right now. But it was, two days ago. I just got home from a blogging event at the General Mills Headquarters there. Amazing by the way. I'll tell you all about it soon. But I had to share these cupcakes first. And also this gives me more time to pull my photos together from the trip.

So, while I crop pictures, you can look at cupcakes.

Like this vanilla one. The frosting on it was exquisite. I'm still dreaming about it.

This one's called Raspberry Patticup. The frosting was different, but just as delicious.

I love chocolate and raspberry, by the way.
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream from Bruster's.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Godiva Bars.
Who's with me?

… sorry, back to cupcakes.

This hostess-like cupcake was really good, too. But I would have to go with the first two as my faves for sure.

And, isn't that just the cutest box. Love the blue and red together.

This is Cherryl and Naomi. They work for General Mills and were super sweet to show me around a little before the event started. Thanks ladies… it was fun.

If you're ever in Minneapolis… or somewhere near Minnetonka … stop by yumkitchen for a visit. They serve yummy food, too.

Mix things up!

2009-08-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Yeehaaa… yum yum… it's Cowboy Cookies. Or, in this case, Cowgirl Cookies.

A friend introduced these to me and I love them. Especially the name. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. Rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Well, I took the traditional oats, chocolate chips and pecans this cookie is known for and added some pink m&m's to make them, well, more girly.

But why stop there. I also made a few cookie mixes to try out as a test run for a gift idea. You see, I missed said friend's birthday (sorry friend) and I wanted to make up for it. So, I took her basic recipe and made a few adjustments so I could fit all the ingredients into these jars.

They're smooth Ball jars made especially for crafts. Smooooooth. No embossed logos in the glass. Nice. And with a little fabric, labels and a brown suede bow, they're perfect little gifts.

But which one should I give her? It actually matters because I made four different variations. If you notice in the photo above, some of them have more oats, more flour or more sugar. I was trying different combinations to get all the ingredients to fit.

Oh and note to self: Use a ruler when attaching labels next time.

Luckily, the first test batch I made, worked. Yes!

So, here's the recipe:

Cowgirl Cookies

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.

Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. I got about 26-28 cookies out of these.

Here's how they came out.

Pretty and tasty. But I still want to try the other mixes later, and if one tastes better I'll make sure and update the recipe. Besides, I want to know how long these will last in jars. Any ideas?

Want to make some cute cookie mix gifts, too? Here's how.

Start with a 1 quart smooth Ball jar. I found these at Hobby Lobby craft store.

Layer the ingredients in like this:

First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Second: oats
Third: m&ms
Fourth: chocolate chips
Fifth: brown sugar
Sixth: white sugar
Seventh: chopped pecans

Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won't all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I'd rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up.

See. There's some of the pecans peeking out from under the fabric.

To decorate the top of the jars, get a spool of suede cord and some fabric. I really wanted to find some pink western bandana fabric, but this will do.
Anyway, cut the fabric into 6 inch squares and the suede into 25 inch pieces. Place the fabric on top and tie ribbons around the lid to hold it in place.

For the labels, you'll need some card stock, a paper punch and double-sided tape.

You can use the pink labels I made if you want. DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE.

I also included one for the baking instructions and a label for Cowboy Cookies in brown if you want to gift these to boys or girls.

Note: you can change the color of m&ms and give them as Halloween gifts, or Christmas gifts, too. Check out the seasonal m&ms in the candy aisle. They are usually available in special holiday colors or themes. The pink ones were in the Breast Cancer awareness bag. Also another great gift idea.

Enjoy!

Monkey Business

2009-08-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the frosting on these banana cupcakes. Super smooth and creamy, cream cheese buttercream … so delicious and creamy. Did I mention creamy? I also used a little added yellow to tint the otherwise cream colored creamy cream cheese frosting … you know, just to enhance the senses. I'm tricky like that.

Banana Cupcakes
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large ripe banana (or almost 1 cup)
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tray with 12 baking cups.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl with a wire whisk.
Cream butter and sugar in a mixer for about four minutes.
Add banana and mix until combined.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add half the flour in three additions alternating with milk in two additions. Scrape down the sides with each addition.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until done.

Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box (1lb) of confectioner's sugar
Buttercup yellow icing color (optional)

Cream butter and cream cheese in mixer until thoroughly combined
Add vanilla. Then Add sugar in small batches until combined and creamy.
Add a small amount of buttercup yellow icing color to frosting and mix.

Now you can eat them just like this or …

Party them up a little bit with small pastel colored confetti sprinkles … just because it's that kind of day.

But, these banana cupcakes need something else… something to keep them company.

A little friend maybe?

Yes definitely.

But my little monkey needs a friend, too.

So this little piggy and teddy joined in on the fun.

And so did my favorite martian, robot and bumblebee.

My head is actually going to explode from all this cuteness.

Could these be any more adorable? Look at that bumblebee bottom.

Why yes, yes they can! These cupcake toppers are also candleholders. I'm officially in love here.

And it gets even better. They want to be your friends, too. Not these, they're mine. All mine.

But these could be all yours.

When I bought these cutie pies from the Lollipop Workshop on etsy (also be cheery on flickr), I bought enough for two more sets. And I want two of you to have one. Well I want all of you to have them, but I only have two sets to give away. (Martian and Robot colors may vary from above.)

All you have to do to enter is give me some advice.

You see, Lollipop Workshop also sent me something else … A surprise … when she mailed the cupcake toppers.

I'm 10000000% certain it will be crazy cute!

It's in this box and I haven't opened it yet.

Why?

Because she also sent this box for my little helper. So sneaky and sweet of her.

So the question is…
Should I wait until my niece visits again so we can open them together?
Should I rip open mine now and show you what's inside?
Should I open both of them? I could re-wrap 'em and no one would be the wiser.
But I do like surprises. Hmmmm… tortured by sweetness.

Okay, so you know I'm really gonna wait, right.

But, I'm just curious - what would you do?

Leave your answer in the comment section below and you'll be entered for a chance to win a set of assorted cupcake toppers from Lollipop Workshop.
Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win.
Deadline to enter is ~~Tuesday, August 18th at 5 p.m.~~ TIME'S UP!
Two winners* will be picked at random and announced sometime Tuesday evening on this post.

*Winners will be chosen using the random.org integer generator.

Good Luck!

And, here's some more cuteness from Lollipop Workshop. Custom cake toppers, lollidolls and candleholders. The store sells out quickly when she adds new products, so just send her a message if you need a custom order.

Okay, Time's up and here are the two winners

#1619 - Elle
#831 - The Pettit Family

Congrats! You're getting some super cute cupcake toppers!

Batter Up!

2009-08-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is going to be fun. Cookiemag.com is having a birthday cake contest with fun prizes. All you have to do to enter is submit a photo of your best cake creation before midnight on September 14. That's right … just a photo and you're entered.

One grand prize winner will win:
a KitchenAid K45SS Classic stand mixer from Amazon.com
$125 worth of cake-decorating supplies from Wilton

Two first prize winners will win:
a $50 cake-decorating kit from Wilton
a DVD of The Yummyfun Kooking Series from Clare Crespo

Two runners-up will win:
a DVD of The Yummyfun Kooking Series from Clare Crespo

So hurry and get baking or send in a photo of a cake you've already created.

The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges including:

David Lebovitz - pastry chef extraordinaire and cookbook author

Clare Crespo - creative baking genius, author of Hey There, Cupcake! and Yummyfun Kooking Creator

Bakerella - wait that's me…

and a few Cookie food editors

Go now. Submit a photo. Wow us with your creativity. I hope you guys make it hard to pick a winner.

View submissions | Enter Contest | Official Rules

Candy Apples

2009-08-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Candy Apples… minus the apples.

It's back to school time already, so I thought I'd show you these super cute apple cake pops to celebrate. They are among some of the 50+ designs I've worked on so far. (I know, I know… I've lost it. But I just can't stop.) I'll try to showcase some new ones here and there in between baking other fun stuff.

Anyway, I thought these would be good today - and a great way to earn your kids brownie points right off the bat. Hmmm… brownie points with cake pops. I like it. They're also a fun way to just say "Thanks, Teach!" You can save the idea for later and they'll make great Teacher Appreciation gifts, too. You could even make tags for the lollipop sticks and they'll be extra special. Or maybe I'll make some for you that you can download. Wait, did I say that. Yikes. Okay, I'll do it. But not today. Or tomorrow… Soon, though.

Okay, I think you all know the drill by now. We need red candy melts. White works too if you add red "candy" coloring. I used chocolate cake for these, but use any flavor you want. Apple even. Follow the basic cake pop instructions and instead of shaping the cake and frosting into round balls, make them a little wider at the top than the bottom. Then press in the center of the top and the bottom with your fingers a little bit to make subtle indentions. You can also use a lollipop stick to make a spot for the stem.

And for the stem, you'll need pretzel sticks.

Not this many however … about 25 will do if you use the rounded ends. And if you don't care about the ends being pretty and round, then you can break each stick down into several pieces and use less sticks. Each stem piece only needs to be about 1/2 inch at the most. While the candy coating is still wet, attach the pretzel piece and leaf and then place in a styrofoam block to dry.

For the leaves, I used jumbo diamond sprinkles … the green ones. But, feel free to use anything you think will work. Check out the candy aisle for inspiration.

And voila… candy apples.

No… candy covered apple-shaped cakes.

Okay, how about just apple cake pops. Simple and cute.

But wait, something's missing.

Let's see what happens with a few large white confetti sprinkles …

and …

a black edible ink pen.

What do you think? Personality?

… or plain?

I say personality.

Just use a little bit of leftover red candy melts. With a toothpick, dot on some of the coating and glue the eyes in place. Then, use the black edible ink pen to bring them to life. When you use the pen, draw on the details with a very light touch to avoid candy residue clogging it up.

Now… Take a bite out of the little apple!

Ha. They're so happy, they don't even seem to mind their buddy being bitten.

Hey! You on the left. Wipe off that grin … you're next!

Here's what you need to decorate them:
red candy melts
lollipop sticks
jumbo diamond sprinkles
large confetti sprinkles
styrofoam block
black edible ink pen
pretzel sticks

And, here's the basic cake pop how-to.

Enjoy!

Easy as Pie

2009-08-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

I know. Genius, right. Perfectly-portioned, tiny pies … and on lollipop sticks, too. I can't take the credit for this idea, although I would love to. The site Luxirare is responsible for this attack of cuteness. A friend at work sent the link to me last week and, the moment I saw them, I knew I would have to try them out. I just love to make things like this that are easy and say "Hi' I'm the cutest thing on earth… now eat me." I originally thought I would make some during the holidays and give them away as gifts, but they have been invading my thoughts all week. So this weekend they had to be made in an attempt to purge them from my mind.

They really are easy. And if you have a little one around, you don't even have to lift a finger. They can do all the work and tell you how to make them, too.

The following commentary is from my sweet "little miss bakerella." She talked and I typed. So here goes… instructions in italics from an eight year old.

I'm getting ready to show you how to make your very own pie pops. They're not made from candy, but they're made out of dough. It's gonna be a baketastic time!

Sprinkle a pinch of flour onto the dough.

Now we flop it onto the other side and do the cookie cutters.

ME: Dusting with a little bit of flour on both sides will make the dough easier to work with and move around.

Now we do the first cookie cutter. It feels great to do the first one.
There's a lot more to be done, but still, it's worth it.

I'm trying to get close to the other hearts because it will give us more space for the cookie cutters.

ME: If you're careful you can get enough for 8-9 pie pops from a 9-inch pie crust.

It's time for the circles. Remember, I'm doing the same thing except it will be easier.

ME: The circle shapes are easier to assemble than the heart shapes because they give you more room in the center for the filling.

This is gonna be all circles here.

Time to get off the scraps. We don't want those Nuh-uh! You can use the scraps for a different piece of dough.

ME: What she means is… you can save the dough scraps. Roll flat and re-use.

Now it's time for pressing down the lollipop sticks.

Now, get only one cherry and a little bit of juice. Put it right in the center or it will squeeze out way too much.

ME: pie filling = juice :)

Ummm… as I said before, don't put too much juice or it will squeeze out because you got to press down or it won't bake very good in the oven.

ME: We used rolled pie crusts and canned cherry pie filling to play with these. Easy and fun for both of us.

It's time for sealing it. What you do is, you break a lollipop stick into a small piece and you press it down all around it. (But not too hard.)

ME: Using a short piece of lollipop stick helps you not to mess up the neighboring pie pops when you seal the two pieces of dough together.

Now you take a baking brush and you crack an egg. Don't put the egg yolk in. Put the egg whites in a little bowl. Get the brush and put some of the egg whites on it. Now brush it onto the front of the dough.

ME: Brush the tops of the pies with egg whites.

Now we got some pistachios and we put it onto the dough, instead of cherry. But I must say, it was mighty tasty.

ME: Ha! Guess you can tell she doesn't eat too many pecans or … pistachios either for that matter. We did make a few pie pops using a pecan pie filling that I whipped together, but I still need to finesse the ingredients on that one before I post a recipe.

The pops baked in the oven on 375 for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops started to brown. Remove, cool and enjoy!

I thought I would love these more than I did. But… (and I can't believe I'm saying these words) … They needed more fruit! A little too much pastry to pie filling for me. But still good, still fun to do and still super-cute!

Don't forget: Check out Luxirare's ultra-stylish Pie Pop step-by-step. You'll love the labeling system.

Pound Cake and Petit Fours

2009-07-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've been on a pound cake kick lately. Last weekend I made two of them. One plain and another with strawberries. They both turned out really yummy.

Then, this weekend I wanted to try my hand at petit fours. You know … adorable, tiny layered cakes filled with fruit or frosting and covered in poured fondant or icing. They can be made from sponge cakes, genoise cakes, or pound cakes. Ding. Ding. Ding. That means more pound cake for me. I decided to go the whole nine yards. Little layers, syrup, marzipan… Looking back, I think my kitchen wishes I went the easy way. I should have just sliced 1-inch thick pieces from the pound cake loaf and then then cut out tiny cakes with a cutter. But no … that would be too easy.

Okay, before we get to the petit fours, let me tell you about the two pound cake loaves.

First up. Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

I couldn't wait to slice into it.

Perfect.

Oh my… help me.

And the top… I could tunnel right through this thing.

But first, a little cream cheese icing.

Yes, it was as good as it looks.

The recipe made enough for two loaves, so on the second one I added some strawberries.

It was pretty fantastic, too.

Every last piece of it.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake = YUM!

Here's the recipe:

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
3.5 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Sift flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a mixer, cream butter, cream cheesea nd sugar for about 6 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add vanilla and milk until combined.
Add flour mixture until completely combined.

Pour into two greased and floured 9 X 5 loaf pans.

Stir in 2-cups hulled and diced strawberries for each loaf if desired.

Bake for about 60 minutes or until done.

Update: Ummm… Forgot to mention… some of my strawberries sank to the bottom, You know I don't bake with fruit so much, but after reading up on it, I think this will help. Try lightly covering the fruit with flour. Let me know if it works for ya.

Cream Cheese Icing
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and milk until thoroughly combined.
Spread on top of cake.
Store in the refrigerator.

Now for the petit fours…

First, let me say… these were a lot of work. I'm glad I tried them, but a lot of work. Thank goodness they tasted great.

If you want to see a fantastic tutorial, check out this one from veganyumyum. Not only is it a really great step-by-step guide, but her photographs are also beautiful.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. You'll need two sheets to lay sideways so you can lift the cake out when it's done. Use some butter and coat the paper. Then dust with flour.

I used the pound cake recipe above, minus the milk and strawberries and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes. Also, I accidentally omitted the milk. Turns out that was probably a good thing, because the cake baked right up to the edge of the pan. It might have spilled over with the milk.

After the cake is baked and cooled, trim off the outer edges and then cut it into eight equal sections. Next, use a serrated knife and cut the height of each section in half. Turn each layer cut side up and apply a small amount of syrup. I used a spray bottle, but you can also brush it on. Don't saturate it though. Then spread on a thin layer of warmed raspberry jam so that you can still see the cake through the jam. Stack the sections three layers high. (three layers of cake and two layers of filling.) Four would have made it too tall, based on the pound cake recipe used here.

Syrup = 1 cup sugar plus 2 cups water. Bring to a boil for approximately 3 minutes. Let cool.

Now, for marzipan. I finally found a reason to use this stuff. It has an almond flavor and is pretty tasty. Marzipan sometimes goes on the top layer of the petit four and I think really helps when you pour the icing on. Roll out the marzipan in a super thin layer. Then place it on top of each section of layered cake. Add simple syrup first to help the marzipan stick. Trim off any marzipan that overlaps the cake sections. Wrap each section in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cut the sections in small squares. Each three-layer cake section will give you 12 petit fours. And you can get at least 5 three-layer sections. That's a lot of little cakes. (After the icing dried, I drizzled on some melted chocolate and added a few fondant flowers for decoration.)

The next day, dip these in poured fondant and place on a wire rack. Set a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drippings.

What I used for the poured fondant = 2 lb bag (@7.5 cups) powdered sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Heat on low and stir until everything is completely combined.

Pouring didn't work so much for me. I dipped each of the four sides and then spooned a little over the top. This was by far the trickiest part. Getting the consistency right, covering the cakes smoothly. I made a HUGE gigantic mess.

Here's a peek…

Again, I suggest visiting veganyumyum for a great how-to as I have no actual photos of the dipping, dripping, pouring or cursing.

I managed to get several out that looked pretty decent, though.

But by the end, I was out of icing, out of my mind and still had a bunch of uncovered little cakes. They stayed that way, too. I've convinced myself they taste better uncovered.

Petit fours. Been there. Done that.

Milk & Cookies

2009-07-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Simple. Just the way I like it. Normally, if I want chocolate chip cookies, it's due to an immediate craving for chocolate. Resulting in the purchase and preparation of a package of break and bake chocolate chip cookies. That's right I don't even bother with the cookie dough log anymore … too much trouble. It's the pre-cut kind for me so I don't have to waste any extra time.

But, then I realized I've never made basic chocolate chip cookies from scratch for the site before. Actually, I'm not even sure if I have ever made them from scratch at all … other than these pumpkin pecan chocolate chunk ones. So this obviously had to be corrected… right away. That's one thing I love about this site. Gives me lots of excuses to bake sweet stuff.

Here's the ingredients. I looooooooove looooove loooove brown sugar.

Anyone want to stop here and get a spoon?

No. No. We must have chips. And lots of them.

Use an ice cream scoop and you can get your cookies to come out the same size when they bake.

When they're done, let them cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whoops… dropped one. Okay, so it was more like ten. (smiles innocently)

What to do? What to do? Why eat them right off the tray while they're still warm and gooey and melty, of course. Continue until you are sick. It's the best way.

Whatever is left after the craving is satisfied, you can store for an hour later when you finish off the rest with a tall glass of milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
With a mixer, beat butter and both sugars until well blended.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add flour mixture in two additions until combined.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
Use a mini ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough on a parchment covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Tip: About half way through baking, sprinkle reserved chips on top of cookies. This is just to make them prettier so, some of the chips are seen on top.
Makes about ??. (I ate too many before I counted. But a couple dozen for sure.)

But if that's too plain for you, then have a little more fun with them and make some ice cream cookie sandwiches.

You didn't think I was going to stop tempting you, did ya?

All you'll need for these is some ice cream and sprinkles.

Cut cooled cookies out with a circular cutter for smaller, more uniform sandwiches. Or just use the cookies au naturale. Either way, still good.
Place a small scoop of ice cream on one cookie. Then place the other cookie on top of the ice cream and press together gently.
Roll the sides in a small bowl of sprinkles if you so desire.
Make and eat right away before they melt.

Enjoy!

And for a little more fun, check out Cakespy's illustrated timeline of the chocolate chip cookie. Very cute!

Pantastic!

2009-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't bake anything this weekend. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I think I was still in vacation mode or something. So I guess this is as good a time as any to close out the "Where I Shop" series. This is part 3: PANS! And Cake Art Party Store has a ton of them.

I love this store.

The cake pan aisle just makes me smile, despite it's overwhelmingly gray disposition. It just makes me happy. I like to think about all the talented people that walk through here in need of the perfect cake pan and the things they create with them. Take all these graduated cake pan sets for instance… I'm in awe of what serious bakers and wedding cake decorators can do with them.

But layer cake pans aren't the only kind of pan Cake Art carries.

There are loaf pans…

… not to be confused with bread pans.

Bundt-style pans in various designs.

Angel food cake pans.

Tartlet pans. (Fat Daddio's… they even have a cute name.)

Doughnut pans. I should get one of these for the next time I try dougnuts.

How about some square pans. Or… regular, mini and jumbo-size muffin pans.

But, when it comes to cake pans, I love these little graduated ones that you can hold in one hand.

And, then there's these. These are much, much bigger. I don't know how big they actually go, but I've seen some as big as 18 inches wide and 3 and 4 inches deep. That is a serious cake. I think my oven would be scared.

But, the graduated sets aren't all round. There are heart pans, hexagon pans, square pans, and oval pans… all available in different sizes.

But maybe you just want one pan. How about a sweet teddy bear? In pink, though.

What about a butterfly? Care Bear? Spiderman?

Or maybe you want individual ice cream-shaped cupcake pans. Too cute!

Or maybe you want a collection of itty-bitty, teeny-weeny, baby-size pans. I want one of each myself. For scale, that's a container of sprinkles on the left. These ARE cuteness!

What?!?! You don't want any cake pans? Well, they also have cookie sheet pans. So there.

And, if that weren't enough, they have pans that try to tempt me to buy them - even though I would probably never use them. This one has blocks you can move around to let you make numbers and letters. I've seen it in a large size, but not one this tiny. Again, CUTENESS! I hate this store.

If that's not enough, they have even more pans.
And, now for some fun.

It's a Pick a Pan Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win the pan of your choice.
Just leave a comment on this post and pick out the kind of pan you want from any of the above. That's right. You get to pick. Need some jumbo-size muffin pans? Want to try out a set of graduated pans? Hearts? Hexagons? Or maybe you just need some plain old cupcake pans. I know, you really want an assortment of teeny-tiny pans.
Well, if you win, I'll get it for you, or as many as I can get for you with a $50 bill. Sound like fun?
Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
Deadline to enter is ~~Tuesday, July 14th at 5 p.m.~~ TIME'S UP! WINNER ANNOUNCED BELOW. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment) The winner will be announced sometime Tuesday evening on this post.

* One winner will be chosen using the Random.org integer generator.

Good luck!

Man… you guys like pans! I didn't think this giveaway would be that fun because it was so, well, so gray. But, I'm glad you had fun entering. Now for the winner…

Congrats Melissa! You're definitely getting a set of graduated pans. YAY! And I'll try to throw in a square muffin pan for you, too. I'll see how far $50 goes.

Cupcakes in Vegas

2009-07-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

I was in Las Vegas over the Fourth of July and received the sweetest surprise!

Cupcakes!!! And lots of them.

They were from Kari and Brian of Retro Bakery. I "met" Kari through flickr when she was documenting her adventures in opening a bakery and I've been keeping up with her on Twitter, knowing that the next time I visited Las Vegas, I wanted to rent a car and surprise her at the bakery.

Fun! Fun! Fun! I've only been to a few cupcake bakeries. Sprinkles Cupcakes in Dallas and The Atlanta Cupcake Factory in Georgia. I know. There's something enormously wrong with that picture. So I was really excited to see Retro and check out their cupcakes.

Big problem. Right before I left, she announced they were going to be closed on the day I could come visit. On vacation of all things. Just my luck. Needless to say, I was bummed.

But, Kari did the sweetest thing. She sent some to the hotel for me the last day they were open. The Fourth of July. I couldn't believe it. I mean I've certainly never had cupcakes delivered to my room before. The bellman brought them up and for a minute I thought I was going to have to fight the guy for them. Even after I tipped him, he kept going on about them. I guess he wanted me to give him one. Well, that didn't happen. Sorry Mr. Bellman. These were all staying with me!

Can you blame me. I mean look at them. They tasted just as good as they look. And really moist too.

In the back is Pink Lemonade (Lemon cake topped with pink lemonade buttercream and hot pink glitter sugar). In the front: Hop Scotch (Vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream dipped in butterscotch ganache) This was one of my favorites!

Here we have Cinnamon Toast (Vanilla cake topped with cinnamon buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar). YUM!

And here… Milk & Cookies (Chocolate-chip cake topped with vanilla buttercream and a freshly baked mini chocolate chip cookie.) This is all wrong and all right, all at the same time. Another fave!

Left: Apple Cider (Cinnamon swirl cake topped with apple cider buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar) Front: Mint Chocolate Chip (Chocolate cake topped with green mint buttercream and mini chocolate chips) Right: Red, White & Blueberry (Blueberry cake topped with strawberry buttercream) This might have been my most fave. But it's a toss up with the Hopscotch.

Oh and, sorry about the lighting on some of these pics. The room didn't have the best angle for natural light.

But who cares about lighting when you have this much chocolate to look at. Left: Chocolate Fountain (Chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream and dipped in chocolate ganache). Right: Chocolate Covered Banana (Chocolate cake topped with banana buttercream dipped in chocolate ganache and sprinkled with walnuts) Back: Peanut Butter Cup (Chocolate cake topped with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate shavings) Who am I kidding… these were all faves.

But I didn't actually eat them then.

I left them all alone in the room while we went to get dinner. It was difficult, but I knew if I tasted even one, it would be all over. By the way, if you've been to Vegas, you can probably guess where I stayed by now.

And, later when we returned.

Let's just say there was a little cupcake carnage during the taste testing. I won't give you all the messy details, but I'm glad there wasn't a camera filming me.

And the best thing about these cupcakes, was having the rest of them again for breakfast.

Thanks so much for the Retro cupcakes, Kari & Brian. I hope to really meet you guys next time.

Do you have a cupcake bakery in your area that you want to try? One that you love or one that you've just heard of? I would love to hear your recommendations.

The Fourth

2009-07-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Freedom, independence & a marine named Carlos. Last week I was trying to decide what kind of Fourth of July sweets to make or if I was even going to make anything at all. Then I received an email from a reader's boyfriend and I knew I wanted to… had to… do something for the holiday.

Here's his letter. And by the way, I couldn't make anything sweeter than this.

Hi there Bakerella!

My name is Carlos and I'm a United States Marine, and have been one since 1998. If you wouldn't mind just giving my e-mail some thought, I'd be grateful. Here's the story:

My girlfriend just went away to Marine Corps bootcamp not yet a month ago. She LOVES to bake, but unfortunately didn't get much time to do so because her job took up most of her free time, so she lived vicariously through you. She's a fan of photography also, so your blog was a welcome reprieve from a long, hard day at the office. As you may or may not know, bootcamp for Marines is 13 weeks long; the only contact with the outside world is through snail mail. I miss my girlfriend immensely and while I know she's doing something for her country that she's always wanted to do, it's hard on me. I digress, she loves your blog. I know the 4th of July is coming up and I ask you this not only for her, but also for the men and women in the Armed Forces who really know and FEEL the meaning behind this holiday. I think it would be very patriotic and meaningful to bake and decorate something in the spirit of the military, not just flags and sparklers like everyone else is doing - but something to show people that our military needs support and we need to remember them while we're lighting off fireworks at the family BBQ. You know?

Now, I'm asking this because I think it would touch a special place in some of your reader's hearts. I'm willing to bet you have quite a following amongst military wives and/or girlfriends. How nice would it be to show your support? I've served 3 tours in Iraq and am due to go to Afghanistan for a year in the next few months. I won't get to see my girlfriend graduate from bootcamp in September, I won't get to see her looking sharp in her uniform, I won't get to see the pride on her face as finally, at 28 years old, she joins the ranks of The Few, The Proud... so this would be my chance to show her I thought of her. This is your chance to show you think of our military, as many others should be doing. Maybe it'll get people to look for ways to support us with baked goods? During the colder months overseas, my girlfriend would bake cookies and anything else she could that would hold up to the travel and heat, and send on enough for my whole platoon. A taste of home, a taste of love... opening up a box with the smells of back home was something you just can't explain. It was magical. My girlfriend didn't stop there though, she adopted Marines, Soldiers and Airman through Anysoldier.com and sent them care packages and notes of encouragement.

I realize I'm all over the place here, but trying to get my point across is difficult without writing you a novel. I think you get the gist. 4th of July is about more and I'd love to write my girlfriend a letter and say, 'Bakerella appreciates the Armed Forces, when you get back to the real world and have access to a computer... go see her 4th of July post.' Now, I don't know if you'll do this or not and it's fine either way. I just wanted to tell you a little story and hope that maybe a tiny blurb in your blog would entice your readers into caring just a tiny bit more and thinking just a bit deeper on our Independence Day.

I appreciate your time in reading this!

Carlos

What a sweetheart. When I read his letter, I immediately wanted to make and send something to surprise his girlfriend. I thought, how cute would it be for her to open a box of colorful cake pops! Then, Carlos informed me that they can't receive food during boot camp. I pictured her being forced to eat all the pops at one time and then made to run 10 miles or something. I don't think she'd like that too much. Picture it. Cute little cake pops. Marines. Lollipop sticks. Marines. Sprinkles. Marines. Not the best idea for her sake.

Now, I can't send her anything sweet, but I can send her these sweet simple words of appreciation.

It's not much, but I hope that if you do see this when your 13 weeks of boot camp are over, that it puts a smile on your face. And know that you and all members of the armed forces were thought of this July 4th.

Plus… that Carlos… he sounds like a keeper.

What about you? Is there someone on your mind… or in your heart… this holiday?

Hope you all have a happy, safe and sweet Fourth of July!

Good Morning

2009-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can I interest you in some pancakes?

Some Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes?

With Orange Maple Butter?

I thought so. I had the same reaction when I saw these in the June issue of Martha Stewart Living.

They called to me. Basically begged me to make them. And I'm so glad I did.

First up… make the Orange Maple Butter. (I did this the night before.)

You'll need:
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Combine all three in a small bowl with a rubber spatula.
Spoon the mixture on a piece of wax paper.
Roll and re-shape back into a stick of butter.
Twist the ends to secure the wax paper and refrigerate.

In the morning. Blueberry Cornmeal PANCAKES!

You'll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar, plus two tsp for blueberries
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups blueberries
Extra butter for coating griddle
Maple Syrup
(Makes about 16)

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together buttermilk, milk, butter and egg in medium bowl.
Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined.

Toss blueberries in a small bowl with 2 tsp sugar.
Heat a griddle over medium heat. Take extra butter and run over surface of griddle. Repeat as necessary throughout process.

Pour batter on griddle 1/4 cup at a time.
Add some of the sugared blueberries to each pancake.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.

I started out doing three at a time, but my griddle was not as big as I like.

So I switched to doing one at a a time. Takes a little longer, but the pancakes are prettier.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, June 2009. Online version here.

Martha also offers a good tip. As you are making the pancakes. Keep the finished ones on a cookie sheet in the oven at 200 degrees F to keep them warm.

Then, when you're all done.

Stack 'em and slap on some Orange Maple Butter

Oh my! Then pour on the maple syrup.

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

Aaaaahhhhhh…

… that's better.

Then dig in.

You'll be glad you did.

Triple Chocolate Trifle

2009-06-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Or more appropriately… How to Make the Best of a Messed Up Cake.

This dessert comes courtesy of my sister. She wanted to bake a cake for me - chocolate of course with chocolate chips - and was already to decorate it and surprise me. One problem. The cake stuck to the pan and fell to pieces when she tried to take it out.

Now, if it were me, I would have just made some cake balls out of it. But being the creative one that she is, she turned her mess into a masterpiece.

I don't have her cake recipe, but here's what you do.

1. Accidentally mess up your cake on purpose by mistake
2. Whip up some chocolate pudding
3. Layer it all in a trifle dish with some cool whip and refrigerate.

… and in the words of Tim Gunn… "Make it Work."

If she hadn't told me it was a mistake, I never would have known.

Actually, there was only one problem with this cold, creamy, cakelicious dessert. It was way too easy to eat. Let's just say, I wish I had a bigger spoon.

Where I Shop, Part 2

2009-06-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took you on a fun photo tour of Cake Art Party Store (cakeart.com) – a great little cake supply place I visit often. But, what I didn't show you is all the candy making supplies they have. I've bought lots of stuff from them to make cake pops. Most importantly… candy melts. What would I do without these things. They come in 1 lb. bags of dark and milk chocolate as well as tons of colors…

… and flavors. Did you know these things come in peanut butter? They also have some mint flavored ones if you like.

Now, if the 1 lb. bags aren't enough for you, then throw a couple of these five pounders over your shoulder. FYI, these are superwhite vanilla coatings, not to be confused with white. Same thing, only brighter. And, if you buy a bunch of white candy melts, then you might even want to try tinting your own. It's really easy.

Just add a few drops of this stuff to the melted candy coating and color away. Make sure it says candy color, though. Regular food coloring contains water and will mess your chocolate up. I mean it.

100% Cocoa Butter. If I actually knew what I was doing, I would tell you all about how to use this stuff. But, I don't. The only thing I use cocoa butter on is a sunburn. Besides, it was sitting right next to the candy colors, so I took a picture of it for you.

Gigantic caramel chunks anyone? I've never used these, but they definitely catch my eye every time I walk down the candy aisle to get lollipop sticks. Actually, my mouth is stuck together right now just thinking about them.

Ahhhh, sticks! Thank you. Fat ones, skinny ones, paper ones, wood ones, short ones…

… and long ones!

Or if you're afraid of being stickless… bulk ones.

Of course, you'll want something to stick them in to let your cake pops dry. Styrofoam works great.

These are the medium peanut butter cup molds I use to make the Cupcake Bites. But, don't let these limit you…

Check out the endless variety of candy molds. They have them for just about anything. Any occasion, hobby or interest you can think of.

I'm waiting for when I can use these.

You can really get creative with the molds. Fill them with solid chocolate or add flavored fillings.

Using squeeze bottles makes it easier to pour chocolate into the molds.

And you can use brushes to paint on the molds with different layers of colored candy melts.

These are candy writers. They are really handy when you just need a little color and quick.

Just place the tube in a bowl of hot water to melt the candy and it's ready to use.

They come individually in several different colors.

Or try out the box set.

Oils. Need some banana cream flavored chocolate? Bubble Gum? Cranberry? How about root beer or mango?

I've used the orange flavor before when I made these orange-colored cake pops. The oils are super-strength and pack a bigger punch than normal extracts - so, you'll just need a few drops.

A lot of people have asked how to make their chocolate thinner. These paramount crystals do the trick. Just add a few pieces at a time to the melted candy coating and stir until they completely disappear. But, you can also use regular old shortening.

Miniature cutters. These are an alternative to the ones I use from Williams-Sonoma to make Cupcake Pops. The flower cutter on the left is the one you want. It comes in this Ateco set #4848.

Cello bags. These have a bronze/brown tint and they come in lots of sizes. I usually just use small clear plastic treat bags for the pops, though.

Look at these. I've never really paid much attention to these foil candy wrappers. I don't know why. Probably because there's just too much stuff to look at in this store. But, I definitely want to try them out soon. I'm thinking turquoise! No purple!

You could wrap some cake balls in foil and then place them in little candy cups. How cute!
Seriously… rock them Roche-Ferrero style.

Or you could place them in truffle boxes. I love boxes. Especially little ones.

More boxes.

I saved my favorite for last. Americolor edible ink pens. These have made cake pop decorating so much more fun for me. I started out buying these black ones. They come as a 2 pack. I've used them to draw eyes and smiles for cake pop faces and also on fondant covered cupcakes.

After buying the black ones over and over, I finally gave in and bought the full set of ten colors. The day I took these pictures they were sold out. Gone. MIA. Sorry.

But you're in luck.

Since then, I've been back and snagged a couple of sets.

And I'm putting them up for grabs. Yay! Here's what they look like.

Don't worry. These are mine. I wouldn't give you opened ones.

Here's a few examples of how I've used them in the past.

And, here are the new ones I am giving away to two lucky winners.

Enter for a chance to win:
A set of Americolor edible ink pens in assorted colors

Just leave a comment on this post and let me know how you would try them out. Cake pops? Cupcakes? Sugar cookies? Potato Chips? Whatever.
Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
Deadline to enter is ~~Monday, June 22nd at 6 p.m. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment)~~ TIME'S UP - WINNERS BELOW!
Two winners will be chosen at random* and announced Monday evening on this post.

Good luck!

* using the Random.org integer generator

And the winners are…
Comment #188 - Brittney
Comment #2153 - Jodi
Yay! I hope you have as much fun with the pens as I have. And I want to see pics of your work!

Fast Food Fun

2009-06-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Cupcake Buns + Brownie Burgers + Cookie Fries = One Happy Meal!

Or many…

I can hardly stand how cute these little guys are. You've probably seen them around before. I know I have. Cupcakes Take The Cake has featured cute ones. But, they are even cuter in person as I discovered this weekend. Oh my gawd… they just make me want to smile. I switched mine up a little by doing the burger out of brownies. But, you can just as easily make chocolate cupcakes and cut them in thirds to use instead. And if you want more realistic lettuce, tint some coconut (yuck) green.

I really decided to make these when I thought about making a meal out of them for Father's Day, complete with sugar cookie french fries. I wasn't sure if they would turn out, but I am so thrilled with the end result. Actually, I think the fries might be my favorite part.

Before I started baking, I made a template for a miniature paper box tray and french fry holder. You can download the 4-page pdf (636 KB) here if you want it. The pdf contains the tray template, french fry holder template (blank & with Happy Father's Day). It also includes the design for the Happy Father's Day tissue paper.

I printed the tray template on card stock (heavier weight paper), the french fry template on vellum (semi-transparent paper) and the tissue insert on tracing paper (really thin paper from Canson Art pad).

All three paper weights went through my printer fine - one sheet at a time to be safe. But, if you're unsure about running the tracing paper through your printer, then just use regular plain white tissue paper.

Cut out the shapes as shown in the picture above with scissors or a sharp blade. Then fold along all the printed lines. Use double-sided tape to secure the flaps. Cut the tissue paper in half and place in the tray print side down.

Now, for the baking. Keeping with the fast food fun theme, I went all mixes on these. That's right. I said mixes. For the cookies, brownies and the cupcakes. Don't cringe.

You know I love learning to bake new things from scratch because it's really empowering and satisfying and it usually tastes better, too. But, before a couple of years ago, I did all my baking from a box and really don't have a problem using a mix. There, I said it. I feel better now.

So, I picked up several kinds.

The brownies baked first in a 13 X 9 pan. You don't need any help there.

The cookies came next. I wanted to do rolled sugar cookies and luckily Mrs. Crocker offered some tips on how to convert the mix for better results.

Except I didn't do the whole floured surface thing. I used parchment paper underneath and on top of the dough. Then I rolled it out with a rolling pin using rubber band spacers attached to ensure an even thickness. This is a really handy trick and so not messy. I got these tips from the book, Cookie Craft. If you want to learn more about rolled sugar cookies, it's great.

See… perfectly even dough and a clean surface.

Here's where I started experimenting, but it worked out pretty well.

Cut the dough in thin strips with a sharp knife and then a long cut down the center. The varied lengths are fine because you don't want all your french fries exactly the same size. Remove the alternating strips so it won't bake into one giant blob. (Reserve dough strips and repeat) Sprinkle sugar on top of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

These spread more than I had hoped they would for rolled sugar cookies. I know. I know. The mix thing. But, no problem. Just take your knife and cut each "steak fry" down the center for "skinny fries." Do this right when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle more sugar on top while they are still warm, too. Lightly rub it on to make sure it sticks good.

And voila……

A big pile of fries. Yum! Try not to eat too many before you serve them. You can't eat just one. Trust me.

Next up… cupcakes. I made these the next morning to spread out the work.

Boxes, brownies, and fries on one day. Cupcakes and decorating the next.

I baked 24 cupcakes using a yellow cake mix. I also exchanged 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the water. It made them nice and yummy. To test, I greased and floured one 12-cup cupcake tray and used Pam on the second. I wanted my buns to have smooth sides, you know. Well, they came out smooth, but also brown.

You can see what's coming.

Yes. Yes. I made 24 more cupcakes. This time I used milk instead of water. No reason. Just to try it.

They were good, too. And this time I used paper liners to ensure the right color cupcake bun.

Now it's time to assemble. Cut each cooled cupcake in half or thirds depending on how tall it is. Cut out 24 circles from the completely cooled brownies and place in between the cupcake bun.
I used my ever so handy graduated circle cutters to do the trick. Size 2" for uniform burgers.

Then… and this might be the most important thing.

Take a break and dispose of the scraps……

… You'll figure something out.

Next up. Frostings.

Divide the canned frosting in three bowls. Two can have equal amounts for the mustard and ketchup. The third - a little more for the lettuce. The colors I used to tint were, Wilton Leaf Green, Wilton Golden Yellow, and Americolor Super Red.

Perty!

To make the red a little deeper, use a tiny bit of violet when you mix. Place each color in a ziploc bag and snip a small tip off one corner.

Gently squeeze out the mustard and ketchup first. Then the lettuce in more of a squiggly design. Place the top of the bun on and press gently.

Now for the finishing touch. Brush a very thin layer of water over the top of the bun or either dab a few drops of water on with your finger. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and they'll stick.

There you have it.

Brownie Burger Cupcakes

And Sugar Cookie French Fries.

A perfectly sweet meal for Dad's day or any day.

And, if you use this template, there's a blank french fry holder in it. Use it and you can serve these for a family cookout or Fourth of July party.

People will go crazy for them, don't you think.

Man, that's one good looking burger. So thick … and…

Tasty, too! Hope you like them.

Now, I'm curious. When it comes to mixes, how do you roll?
Use them? Refuse them? Or improve them?

Lemon Bars and a Little Helper

2009-06-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sweet squares of sugar and citrus. I love them … especially, when other people make them. Ha. What I mean is, when I think about baking something new, I usually lean towards recipes that include chocolate or either chocolate and sometimes chocolate. But every time I've ever eaten one of these yummy yellow squares, I think why haven't I ever made these things. So I did… kinda.

They're really easy and you don't even have to get out your mixer. First, grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan. I used a glass one. Next, you'll need to make a crust.

For the crust, you'll just need flour, butter and confectioner's sugar. Easy enough.

Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour and 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar. Add 1 cup cold butter.

Then cut in the butter until the mixture is incorporated and crumbly. I used the back of a fork to work the butter into the flour. When it gets crumbly, pour it into your greased and floured pan and press firmly into the bottom. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the crust is baking, you can prepare the lemon topping.

Again, easy ingredients. Flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and lemon juice. Pretend that's freshly squeezed juice from real lemons on the right. I didn't have any on hand.

But before we go on, let me show you my little helper. She always asks to crack the eggs open if she's around when I'm baking. And when she looks at me with those eyes, I'm sure you know the answer.

She's great at it, too. So good, in fact, that I let her finish up the rest of the work.

Slightly beat the four eggs and set aside. Then, measure 1 1/2 cups sugar making sure it exactly meets the line on the measuring cup. She's very precise.

Now you'll need 1/2 cup lemon juice. Right now I wish I had those lemons, so she could experience squeezing the juice out of them. Oh well… moving on. In another large bowl, add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 slightly beaten eggs and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Look at those hands. Steady.

Stir all that together really good.

And then pour it on top of the warm baked crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes.

Remove and cool completely. Sprinkle with extra confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.

Yum! And even better, I still don't have to make them. She can do it for me while I make something chocolatey. Yippee!

Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
Press mixture into bottom of pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

While crust is baking, prepare topping.
In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.
Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

Cheesecake Pops!

2009-05-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, be honest. How many of you saw this coming? After last week's cheesecake success, It was finally the perfect opportunity to give these little treats a try. The first time I remember seeing them was April, a year ago. I remember because I had not been home long after showing Martha how to make Cupcake Pops. I was looking at some of my favorite blogs and everywhere I looked, I started seeing chocolate covered balls on sticks. I mean everywhere. I was like, holy cow, Martha really has some heavy mojo. Then, I laughed at myself when I realized, Martha and I had nothing to do with it. The pops I was seeing were part of a Daring Bakers Challenge where tons of bloggers tackle a new dessert each month and that month they had coincidentally picked cheesecake pops inspired by the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. Well, I finally saw this book a couple of weeks ago in the bookstore, and I had to immediately have it. Let me just tell you, it is a feast for your sugar-loving eyes. When I flipped through it again last weekend, I was reminded of all those beautiful cheesecake pops and it seemed only natural for me to finally give them a go.

And, it didn't hurt any that I had half a plain jane cheesecake sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be experimented on.

I used a small ice cream scoop and scooped up as many balls as I could, trying not to scrape the graham cracker crust into it. I didn't want it to look ugly, you know. I guess, if I was going to make these on purpose, I would bake my cheesecake in a regular 2-3" high cake pan and not use a crust at all.

I got 12 easy, from half of the cheesecake. I could have probably squeaked out a couple more, but I might have eaten a few sections of cheesecake along the way. Maybe.

I didn't really roll these, but I did kind of shape them a little to make them more round.

And, then because they were lumpier than I am used to with the cake pops, I dropped each one in a small bowl filled with graham cracker crumbs and rolled it around to coat. This helped to shape them better as well.

Then, I popped them in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up. (Maybe about 20-30 min. for these.)

While they were chilling. I heated up some chocolate candy melts in the microwave (30 sec intervals, stirring in between) and got my sticks and decorations ready.

I went with teeny tiny hearts in red, white and pink. A hearts and jimmies mix in red, white pink and brown … and also just some dark chocolate that I chopped up in a mini food processor.

Note: I'm pretty sure a few of you are going to want to know where those baking cups came from. Check out www.confectioneryhouse.com

So, after the balls became firm, I dipped one end of my lollipop stick in some of the melted candy coating and then inserted it into the cheesecake ball. I immediately dunked the pop in a deep bowl of melted candy coating and then sprinkled to decorate. Each one was then placed in a styrofoam block to completely dry. Then, they went in the refrigerator to await their fate.

Note: It will really help if you use a bowl that is deep enough to completely submerge the pop in chocolate and remove in one motion. It also helps if your chocolate is on the thinner side. (You can melt a little shortening in it to thin it out some.) Once, you remove it, carefully tap the excess off while balancing the pop on the stick. You may need to rotate your hand so that gravity keeps the pop in place long enough for the chocolate to start to set around the base. Add the decorations before it sets too much also or they won't stick to the surface. These were slightly harder to manage than the cake pops. One… they were larger and heavier because of using the scooper. Two… the cheesecake texture wasn't as sticky as the cake pop mixture.

But… I think they turned out beautifully.

Let's take a closer look…

A little closer.

Closer.

Whoops, just couldn't resist. YUM-O-RAMA!

So, you say you don't want to do a balancing act to make all these on sticks. Here's another way you can do it. And it's easier.

Take your graham cracker-coated cheesecake ball and drop it in the bowl of melted candy coating.

Don't stir it. Just spoon some chocolate over the top until it is covered. Then, scoop it out with a spoon and tap off some of the excess by tapping the spoon on the side of the bowl. Then, just let it slide right off onto some wax paper. Insert your stick and add any decorations. Told you this was easier. I didn't tap these as much as I do regular cake balls because I was going for the Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey look that Jill O'Connor shows in her book.

Messy looks good, too, don't you think?

If you want to make some Cheesecake Pops … you will need:

Cheesecake (Buy one if you want to get straight to the fun stuff. Shhh… I won't tell. You can also use this recipe.)
Mini ice cream scoop
Chocolate candy melts
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
Wax paper
Dark chocolate, chopped
Graham cracker crumbs
Dipping bowl
Styrofoam block

and…

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey if you want to feast your eyes on more messy yumminess.

You can also check the Google results for the Daring Baker's Cheesecake Pop Challenge and see tons more versions to drool over.

Enjoy!

Just some cute cupcake stuff

2009-05-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

I used these cards today and it reminded me of a bunch of cute cupcake stuff that's crossed my path recently. These are letterpress cards from Dingbat Press. If you've been following the site for a while, you'll remember these she made for me a while back. I love letterpress. Love it. It's so substantial and makes writing much more fun. Check out her site and you'll find a ton of other gorgeous designs.

www.dingbatpress.com

Want to see more?

Okeedokey.

See this bag. It's a camera bag that was offered to me by Tracy Joy Designs. She had one cupcake design left and gave it to me for the price of shipping. Now, I usually don't like pattern stuff. I'm a solids kind of girl, but I thought what the heck… that's a pretty good deal… and maybe I'll do a giveaway with it or something.

It arrived the day before I went to Oklahoma to visit the Pioneer Woman and as it would happen, I needed a carry on bag for the flight. How convenient! It was perfect. Lots of pockets for lenses that I used for stuff and a long strap to hang over my shoulder so I could lug two other bags full of cake pop supplies.… Kinda smooshable so I could stuff it under the seat in front of me. Needless to say, I'm not using it for my camera and I'm not giving it away. It's my new travel companion. (sorry)

And, here's the best part - that I didn't even notice until I was on the way home. The flap is removable. You can switch it up with different designs. Cute, huh! I don't think this style is available in her store, but I bet you could do a special order. And if not, she has other cute bags.

www.tracyjoy.com

Oh no. I was wrong. I just went to their site to get the link for you and it turns out they are closing shop. Serves me right for waiting so long to post this. But, the good news is they are having a BIG sale on all their remaining inventory. Maybe you can score a deal.

Now, control yourself. These are really adorable.

Heavy metal cupcake measuring spoons. Look at the inside and the handles. Eeeeeeeek! Keeeeeuuute!

Look at their bottoms. And look at the handles, they have tiny hearts on them.

My new friend, Pioneer Woman Cake Pop Demonstration Winner, and blogger… Starwoodgal, gave them to me. She found them at a charming little store in Arkansas called Signed Sealed Delivered. I looked on their site and couldn't find them, so here's another place to get them.

Recognize these little guys? They're from Cakespy. You know how much I love Cakespy and her L'il Cuppie character. I have several of her paintings and now I can spread the sweetness with these little cute note cards. She also has buttons, magnets and a bunch of fun paintings.

Cakespy Shop

How could you be blue with this hanging around your neck. I bought this vintage necklace with plastic cupcake pendant recently from Very Happy Everything. They just got started on etsy, but have tons of cute necklaces. I'll warn you, though. You need to have a little whimsy in your bones for some of the designs… like the Hammerhead sharks with bow ties. Oh, to be in their brain for a few minutes.

Very Happy Everything

Crocheted cupcakes! A reader sent me these the other day. Hi Jackie from New York. How are you? Thank you so much for these and all the time it took to make them. I've never crocheted anything, so I have to say, I'm super-impressed.

Cupcake Pops! Nope. They're actually cupcake soaps on sticks. LoveLeeSoaps gave me these. They look pretty real, huh? You should see some of the other stuff she makes. It's all crazy cute! I promise.

LoveLeeSoaps

I also found this in my pantry today. Sprinkles cupcake mix. Sprinkles was very thoughtful to start selling a mix version of their fabulous cupcakes at Williams-Sonoma. Especially since I have been waiting FOREVER for them to open a store anywhere within a day's drive from me. I had the real things once, and I've been thinking about them ever since.

But, here's the problem with this mix and things like it. If you notice the expiration date on the right, you'll see that I've had it for quite a while… way before that date even. It's a quirk of mine. I find it extremely difficult to open cute packaging. I would rather just look at it contained, than open it. Quirky, right?

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix

Here's another example of really cute packaging from Chronicle Books. Take a look at this Cupcake Kit! It's so cute, I haven't even opened the box to hold and look at all the fun stuff inside.

But, guess what?! I have two of them.

So, maybe you can help me out. If I give one away, will you open it and tell me how fun everything inside is?

Please, because I'm going to put the other one on a shelf and stare at it.

Okay, it's settled. One of these kits is up for grabs. But which one of you wants it? Let me know.

Enter for a chance to win:
A Cupcake Kit

Just leave a comment on this post and let me if you want to tear into this box. Easy.
Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
Deadline to enter is ~~Friday, May 29th at 9 p.m.~~ Sorry, Time's Up! Winner below. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment)
One winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Saturday morning on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.

Time to reveal the winner.

It's…

It's…

It's comment number…

1,132

Congratulations eRika! The goodies will be in your hands soon. I hope you have fun with it.

Now, guess what?! I've decided to go ahead and give the second one away also. That's right. Two winners. Why? Because you guys are always so great and I know I will just be staring at mine on the shelf. I think I would feel guilty knowing how badly so many of you wanted one.

And the second winner is comment number 40. Ooooh, a low number this time. Who's it gonna be?
Jenni, of course. And, I'd love to see any results from your new cupcake kit.

Thanks everyone who entered and graciously agreed to tear into this box for me. Some of you even have the same packaging problem as I do. (Yay, I'm not alone.) And, some of you… well, let's just say I wouldn't want to come between you and any sort of wrapped gift. But, it would be fun to watch. There were a total of exactly 2,800 entries for this giveaway and it was one I really enjoyed reading. Made me laugh, smile and wish I had even more kits to give. And Carissa, even though you didn't win, and you were "number two-thousand-four hundred and fifty," I did read your comment. Hi!

Cheesecake!

2009-05-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Need a fork? Or maybe a shovel. This is one ginormous piece of cheesecake. And oh boy, was it good. The cheesecake, that is. Personally, I can do without a bunch of fru fru when it comes to cheesecake. But, I wanted to dress a slice up and make it all pretty for you. This one is topped with raspberry, whipped cream, and white chocolate. It's also the first real grown-up cheesecake I think I've ever made. Yay me! (Anyone else, hear London Tipton in their head when they read that? If you didn't, don't worry, that means the Disney Channel hasn't infiltrated your brain.)

The only other kind of cheesecake I've made are these itsy-bitsy mini ones. Take a look. You'll love how easy they are.

Anyway, when it comes to cheesecake, this is how I like mine.

Plain. Jane. No whipped cream. No whole fruit. Ever. Just dense and delicious. But, on occasion, I don't mind a little raspberry sauce to touch it. I actually don't mind fruit flavors at all. I just won't eat the actual fruit. For instance, on these itsy bitsy mini ones. The cherries had to go. Cherry sauce… fine. Cherries… trash can. I know. I'm weird like that.

But, not totally weird. I do like other cheesecake flavors, like Oreo, chocolate, of course, and just about every other combination from the Cheesecake Factory - as long as it's served without whipped cream or whole fruit. But, I usually gravitate towards the classic… and then I hope someone else orders a different flavor so I can try it.

And now that I've had success, I may just have to do some more experimenting on my own. This was really so easy, I don't know why I've been hesitant to try making one for so long.

Start with the crust. Graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter mixed together.

Then press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan.

Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, flour, and lemon juice. Dump it in.

And in a little over an hour, voila…

… cheesecake!

Now, it wasn't perfect. It did have a crack going through the middle. From what I understand, this can be a common annoyance. You can see a hint of it to the right in this photo. But, that's ok. You can cover stuff up like that with a sauce, or chocolate, or caramel and nuts, or (gags) whipped cream. Or just go ahead and slice the cheesecake, avoiding any defect.

For the raspberry sauce, I just used some jelly and heated it up until it was thin enough to spread on in a thin layer. Easy!

Here's the entire recipe if you want to give it a go.

Cheesecake

2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

4 (8oz.) packages cream cheese
1.5 cups sugar
3 Tbsp flour
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Optional:
raspberry jelly
fresh raspberries
1 cup heavy whipping cream + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
white chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
Stir in melted butter until moistened.
Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches tall). Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

To make the cheesecake filling, cream the sugar, cream cheese and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
On low, add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla just until combined.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325.
Make sure to take it out of the oven before the center looks done. It will be kind of wobbly and it will move in one piece. The center will look more shiny than the edges. That's ok because it will continue to cook a little while it's in the pan.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temperature.
Hope that it doesn't crack.
Go ahead and separate the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a knife around the edges. I also opened and reclosed the springform pan to help separate.
Chill in the refrigerator overnight. That's right. It's best to make this the day before because it needs plenty of time to chill and firm up.

Before serving: Heat up some raspberry jelly on low heat until the consistency is thin. Spread on top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate while you do the following.
Melt some white chocolate and put it in a ziploc bag or squeeze bottle. Draw abstract (see first photo) shapes on wax paper and let dry.
Pour some heavy whipping cream in a small chilled metal bowl. Add 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and beat the cream on high until it becomes firm and thick.
Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and spoon on whipped cream or use a decorating bag with a 1M tip to decorate.
Top with fresh raspberries and white chocolate decorations.

Enjoy!

Now, before I let you go, I'm curious. How do you roll?
Plain Jane or Fancy Shmancy?

Or somewhere in between?

The Cupcake Tower

2009-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

My bestest friend's daughter received first communion this past weekend and my friend asked me to make cupcakes for the party afterwards.

I immediately said sure. No problem. How many do you want?

She goes, "How about 50. Yeah, at least 50."

50? Ummm… okay. Thinking in the back of my mind… How am I going to transport 50 cupcakes and still keep them as fresh as possible because I'll have to make them the night before? And what am I going to carry them all in and put them on? Now, that may not sound like a lot to you guys, but it is when you've never done that many for someone else before and especially for a whole bunch of people you'll have to look in the face if they don't like them. I'm not a caterer, you know.… I tend to panic right before I bake. I'm weird like that…

… and, then how to decorate them? What do you do for communion cupcakes anyway?

Luckily, I still had the invitation laying around, so I just used it for inspiration.

And, after visiting several stores, I finally found a 4-tier Cupcake Tower from Wilton that would hold about 36 cupcakes. That was the biggest I could find, and seeing as how I waited until the last minute… I grabbed it.

I wanted each tier to alternate with the design, so I started planning and put my math skills to work.

12 + 8 + 1 = 21 (Excellent… Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes makes about 22.) Check! These will be chocolate cupcakes with pink tinted vanilla buttercream frosting. YUM!

10 + 6 = 16 (Yay… Half of this moist yellow cake recipe makes about 18) Perfect! These will be vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. YUM! YUM!

Note: I doubled the buttercream recipe for each of these so I would have enough… especially for the swirly ones (made with the 1M tip).

But wait… that's 37. Perfect for the cupcake tower, but I need 50. Not enough. (I got As in math, by the way.)

So I made another batch of cupcakes by halving this Easter cupcake recipe from a few weeks ago and a chocolate cream cheese frosting. I could have doubled one of the others, but I decided to make a third kind. That way I could have people choose their favorite chocolate one. I like feedback.

The night before I made the cupcakes, I made these cute little toppers. I tinted some fondant pink and used my favorite set of double-sided graduated cutters to make the shapes. These were going on the vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. They'll really pop on white.

Then, I tinted some more of the fondant a dark brown. To get it this dark, use brown and then add some violet until you get the right shade.

For the crosses, I photocopied the invitation and scaled it down until it was a size that would fit inside of the pink shape when cut out.

Then, all you have to do is roll out the fondant and cut it in rectangular shapes that match the height and width of the cross. Mine are a little uneven, but no worries.

Because, you can make adjustments when you finish up the crosses. And all you do for that is remove sections from each of the four corners with a cutter until you are left with the remaining cross shape. Her invitation had edges that varied in width, so I used this tiny triangle cutter to do the job. You can just as easily use a square cutter and end up with evenly shaped sides.

Then, use a tiny dab of water on the underside of the crosses and attach them to the pink fondant cutouts. Easy.

Now I had plenty of toppers, plenty of cupcakes and plenty of frosting. But not plenty of room to showcase them. Remember, the tower only holds 36 and I now had 50 some odd cupcakes.

What to do? What to do?

Ask Martha of course. She always has an answer.

I found this beautiful display in my Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine (Spring 2009). They're made of graduated hat boxes and wrapped with designs printed on card stock. Cool, huh. I got really excited and even thought about ditching the whole cupcake tower thing. She has very detailed instructions here. But, after reading, I realized they were for mini cupcakes. Nooooooo! And even though I got A's in math, I didn't feel like figuring out all the conversions to adjust. Yuck-o-rama.

So, I took her lead and went looking for hat boxes… in any size I could find. Which wasn't many. I found big and round and that's about it. So instead of stacking mine, I made two separate displays.

I think they came out super cute. If you look closely, the design is the same as the background in the invitation, above.

I copied the ornamental design and repeated the pattern on an 11X17 document and printed it out on heavyweight paper.

Then, I cut the paper horizontally in half in a wavy line that went in between two rows of the ornamental pattern. Does that make sense? Hope so.

Then, I trimmed off the outer edges since my printer won't bleed the image to the edge of the paper and taped two of the pieces together to wrap around the hat box.

If I was Martha Stewart, I would have figured out precise measurements and made sure the patterns matched up at the meeting points, but I'm not and no one noticed that they were off by a hair.

Heck, no one even noticed that I used the pattern from the invitation. Bummer. I think I was more proud about that than the cupcakes.

And, ooooh, the cupcakes. They were so good. Especially these with the chocolate cream cheese frosting. But so were the other chocolate cupcakes with the pink buttercream… the cake was more chocolatey. It's a draw, I guess. Notice the second set of fondant toppers I made… smaller and cuter.

Check this one out. After covered in frosting I put these giant chocolate sprinkles on.

A big thanks to my new friend Liz in Greece who sent them to me. I think they're actually made in Belgium, though. Look how shiny and big they are compared to the normal chocolate sprinkles I usually find. They taste great, they come in a big box and they even have a handy pourable spout. I love 'em!

And, so did she. The sprinkle ones were her favorite. She was so sweet. She almost made me tear up when she said they were the very best things I ever made for her.… then she said… except the Halloween Cake Pops … and except the Easter Basket Cupcakes. Cute. I'm just glad I made her smile.

Now… who wants a Cupcake Tower? I know. I know. I usually don't do two giveaways in a row, but I actually liked this thing a lot!

It's simple and easy to use.

It stays nested for storage and it even tilts slightly to give a better view of the cupcakes. And best of all, it was only $20 bucks! Score!

I liked it so much, I want someone else to enjoy it with me.

So, I'm gonna give away three of them.

Enter for a chance to win:
A Cupcake Tower

Just leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite cupcake flavor combination. I'm curious.
Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
Deadline to enter is ~~Tuesday, May 19th at 5:00 p.m.~~ WINNERS BELOW (recorded by the comment time stamp)
Three winners will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Tuesday evening on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.

Good Luck!

Oh my gosh, all the flavors you guys listed are making me crave some cupcakes. I'd take any flavor as long as I can have one right now… even coconut. And, by the way, I'm glad to see so many of you love red velvet as much as I do. And cream cheese frosting. Yum! Okay, let's see who won from the 3,986 entries.

A big cupcake tower congrats to:
Commenter # 1879 - James-n-Amber
Commenter # 390 - Jessica
Commenter # 1796 - Camille

Where I shop…

2009-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Cake Art Party Store! I started going here about two years ago when the baking and cake decorating bug bit me. When I first walked in, I was overwhelmed. Actually, I'm still overwhelmed. There's so much stuff I don't know… don't even have a clue about… but I feel like I learn something new every single time I visit. Unfortunately, I can't do that very often because this store makes me spend money.

Like on these things. I'm serious… this place is dangerous. I think I get a sugar high or something when I walk in … my heart starts racing … I start picking random stuff up. And when I get home, bags full… I'm like, what just happened.

But, when you see all these… in one place. You start thinking… do I have enough yellow sprinkles. I can't remember. Okay, get some more and get some blue ones, and red ones while you're at it.

And then, you start thinking that you can't live without blue teddy bear sprinkles or green palm tree sprinkles, or pink pigs. And what if someone has a baby… I need those baby sprinkles or wait, boys like cupcakes… what about helmet and football sprinkles. You see where I'm going. Let's just say that I have accumulated my fair share of sprinkles.

The funny thing is … I hardly ever use them on cupcakes or cakes. It just makes me feel good knowing I have them just in case. I know … weird! But, they do come in handy when it comes to decorating cake pops, so that's how I justify it.

You can even buy them in bags!

Here's something I've never tried… and I think I'll leave for the pros… Airbrush! Pretty colors, though.

Speaking of colors… did you know you can buy rolled fondant that is already tinted?

I started doing this recently with red fondant because it is seriously a pain to tint it yourself and get it a deep red color.

Now, a lot of people don't like the taste of fondant, they just like the look of it from a visual perspective. So, if you just want to experiment, then play around and buy it pre-made. Just don't get this much. You can stick with the 1 pound packages.

Or if you really want, make some from scratch. I hear marshmallow fondant is pretty good.

Anyone need 25 lbs of buttercream frosting?

Or tinted buttercream?

Not me. I like to make my own buttercream and tint it myself. Yummy!

Need some petit four icing? Just snip the tip and go. Great for beginners.

Marzipan… I haven't dabbled in this stuff yet, but I do like saying the name. Marzipan!

Check this out! This might just be the best part of the store. Pans! Round ones, oval ones, heart-shaped ones, square ones! And in graduated sizes, too! And different heights! Help me, please.

Tools. I love tools. Offset spatulas and flat spatulas. Thank you.

Inside these little trays are every decorating tip you can think of and some you can't. Grab some disposable bags and couplers and you're set.

There's so much stuff in the store that you can miss little things like this. Petal dust and luster dust… I think I'm in love. Now, I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Need to stack a big cake? Sorry, I can't help you… haven't done that.

Mine are little and usually just end up on cake boards like these.

And sometimes, they get put in cake boxes. I love cake boxes. Especially the tiny ones.
Little cakes in little boxes are just the cutest!

Need some party supplies? They have that, too.

Baking cups for boys and girls.

Tons and tons of plastic cake toppers. I've never bought anything down this aisle…

But, this one made me laugh so hard, I almost bought it for a Mother's Day cake. Then, I pictured myself on Cake Wrecks and stopped myself. :)

Father's Day is around the corner, though…

Almost done… hang in there. Cookie cutters are always fun to have.

And so are these. I have this set of dual sided graduated cutters. I love them and they come in super handy when I make fondant covered cupcakes.

Gadgets galore! I can't stand in this section too long because my pantry just isn't big enough.

And guess what… that's just the half of it. Actually, the 1/8th of it. I wish I could show you everything.
Coming soon… candy stuff!

Hope you guys liked looking at all that stuff and thanks Cake Art for letting me show everyone that there's a much bigger cake world than the 9 inch cake pans I used to buy in the grocery store. And guess what guys… most of it's easier than you think.

www.cakeart.com
Cake Art Party Store
3744 Lawrenceville Hwy.
Tucker, GA 30084

And, because I made you scroll through all those pictures, how about a little giveaway for you sprinkle lovers!

Enter for a chance to win:
I'm giving away 20 different kinds of sprinkles!
(picked out by me)
Want some?

Just leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite baking or decorating item or tool or even some elusive sprinkles you've been looking for.
Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
Deadline to enter is ~~Monday, May 11th at 6:00 p.m.~~ (recorded by the comment time stamp)
The winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Monday evening on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.

Good Luck!

Sorry, TIME'S UP!
The Sprinkle Winner is none other than Comment #936!
Yay Cam! Have any Sprinkle preferences?