150 Cupcake Weekend

This past weekend, I undertook my largest cupcake project ever. I made about 150 cupcakes in total. I made 12 for a baby shower, 24 for a birthday party, and 108 for a graduation party. I was exhausted by Sunday! I was SO thankful that my friend, Jessica, took time out of her day on Saturday to help me garnish and fill.

Here are the finished results at the graduation party:

108 cupcakes lined up

Traditional Red Velvet with a swirl of ganache

 

Vanilla cake filled with lemon curd and topped with blueberry buttercream

 

Lavender Vanilla cake with Honey Buttercream

 

Lemon Sauvignon Blanc

 

Mayan Chocolate

 For the babyshower:

Different piping technique on blueberry buttercream

 

For the birthday party:

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

"What's an Irish Car Bomb?" It's a Guinness chocolate cupcake, filled with whiskey infused ganache, and topped with a Bailey's buttercream. Oddly, I made these for a pastor's birthday party. It's probably the only way you'll see a group of Texas preachers consume liquor. It's one way to have your cake and eat it too!

 

Tonight I will be following up this epic weekend with 48 cupcakes for the opening of my favorite artist's new tattoo shop. Pictures to follow tomorrow!

 

Carrot Cake inspired Cookies

This week, I completed an order of carrot cake cupcakes using my grandmother's famous recipe. I had a few left after completing the order and we needed dessert for Wednesday night Bible study. I didn't have quite enough for the whole group so I threw together some carrot cake inspired cookies. The great thing about cookies is that you can do a whole batch in under an hour!

Carrot "Cake" Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
 
Cream together:
1 stick or 1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar

Then add in:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. shredded carrots
1/3 c. raisins or currants

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
1c. oats
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
A pinch of ground cloves
1/2 c. walnuts (optional) 

Add dry ingredients into wet until dough forms

Spoon dough onto un-greased cookie sheet and bake roughly 15-20 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown.

Stilettos and Powertools

This weekend, I spent some time out of my comfort zone. When I was 9, my house burned down and so my mom decided that we'd build my "dream room" when we rebuilt. I ended up with this antique desk that someone had painted white, which worked for pre-teen me. My mom added white porcelain knobs with pink roses painted on them. When I moved out at 19, I took it with me. Then life happened and I lent it to a cousin but it's come back to me again. However, grown-up me does not like the white painted desk. From the back of the drawers, I could tell that it was a lovely natural wood that I could refinish.

Well, that was a terrible idea. I stripped off the white paint and found lime green stain.

I've decided that someone must have stained it in the late-70's or early-80's. To that person: I hate you. I spent last Saturday using a chemical paint stripper to remove most of the paint. This Saturday, I was able to rent a belt sander from Home Depot for $20. It was awesome! However, it couldn't reach the delicate woodworking that was under all the layers of crappy paint. I had to do those by hand. My shoulders and arms feel like I rowed the English Channel... and I'm still not done. Next Saturday, I'm hoping to finish the last nooks and crannies and stain it.

Now, I understand why people just buy cheap desks from IKEA. However, I am permanently attached to the desk. If God calls me to mission in Africa, I'm bringing the desk. My kids and grandkids will ask me about getting rid of the desk and I will tell them the tales of the blood, sweat, tears, and chemical burns I put into it. It's a conversation piece.

I had signed up to bring dessert to our Sunday night church gathering. It made me even more grateful for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. It did all the work for these Snickerdoodles and gave my poor sore arms a much needed rest.

Here's the recipe:

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. or 1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
2 3/4c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together sugar, butter, and shortening. Mix in vanilla and eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Roll dough into balls and coat each ball in cinnamon-sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

My friend manages a medical office and orders cakes for her staff twice each month. She's been buying grocery store cakes, but now she's buying my cakes! She says her staff has been SUPER excited. This week, I tried my hand at German Chocolate Cupcakes. I am allergic to coconut, so I've been a bit nervous about making something I couldn't taste. (Gordan Ramsey would have a fit!) I used my mom to "taste test" the frosting and she said it was good and not too sweet.

I used this recipe because it was highly recommended by other bakers. This cake is not for beginners! The ingredients are also expensive (the chocolate is over $1/oz). So, here's a short cut:

1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs

Mix the buttermilk and oil into the cake mix. Add one egg at a time and fold in gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. You will get a rich, moist cake with a nice "dome" on top.

Another simple thing that you can do at home is ganache. In simplest terms, ganache is chocolate with butter or heavy cream. It can be used for glazing, frosting, and even truffles. For these cupcakes, I used 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2c. heavy cream. I used a double-broiler method to make it. I would also recommend placing your chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and bringing your cream to a boil on the stove top (or microwave if you're feeling brave). You can then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate chips. Mix with a spoon- do NOT whisk because air is not your friend. While the ganache is still warm, you can glaze cakes/cupcakes. The more it cools, the thicker it will set. If you want to whip it place it in the refrigerator (never the freezer) until it is slightly cold.

Happy Baking!

I'm back!

It's been quiet around here. I've been in the process of moving. I'm finally settled and back at it in the kitchen. I've been having a lot of fun with new recipes! I moved close to some local markets where I've been getting awesome prices on produce. It's the best thing about summer.

Carrot Apple Slaw

2 Apples (I used Pink Lady)
5-6 medium carrots
Juice of 1/2 lemon
10oz Greek Yogurt
2-3tbsp honey
1/2c. chopped nuts
Sprinkle of cinnamon

I peeled the carrots and removed the tops. I chose not to peel the apples, but peel them if you desire. I shredded the apples and carrots together in the food processor. I transferred the shredded mixture into a bowl. Then, I stirred in the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and honey. I finished it by topping it with cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

2 1/2c all purpose flour (set aside 1/4 c.)
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 c. oil
2 c. berries (strawberries)

In one bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. Use the remaining 1/4c. flour to coat the berries. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, oil, egg, and lemon zest. Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Gently fold in berries. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown on top.
You can use frozen berries, but your muffins will have to cook longer.

Contest!

I need YOUR help to promote my Facebook page! So, today I'm starting a month-long contest. While I appreciate my far-away followers, I'm hoping to drum up local business. If you're far away,  you can still help by referring your local friends.

Rules:

The contest will run from April 13, 2012-May 13, 2012
Refer your friends to the Facebook page and make sure they "like" the page and tell me who sent them
Your referrals must remain fans of the page for at least the month of the contest
The person with the most referrals will win a dozen cupcakes!

Thank you to all my new followers out there! I'm excited to share my culinary adventures with you.

Manic Monday

My day job has been a little slow lately. It gives me a lot of time for culinary daydreams. Today, I was thinking about the spinach in the fridge that needed to be used today. I thought about making some spinach pockets, but decided to go a different route.

Spinach Pizza (spinach, provolone, Romano, Parmesan, and spices)

Recipe:
1 package crescent rolls
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
 2 c. spinach
3-4 tbsp parmesean/romano blend
1/2 c. provolone 
1 tsp pizza or Italian season blend
Spread the crescent rolls across a baking sheet and brush with olive oil and garlic. Layer spinach and top with cheeses. Sprinkle with Italian or pizza seasoning. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

My 10-year-old buddy asked me why I was taking pictures of the food. I guess he didn't think it was as pretty as I did. However, he ate two slices. I'd say that makes this dinner kid-approved.

Coming soon:
-Blog and FB page contest!
-Pink cupcakes for a baby shower