Golden Oreo Cupcakes

I was so excited to make this cupcake recipe!  I searched for the perfect recipe for over a week, and even decided to make it instead of the Roasted Banana Cupcake or the Bunny Cake.  I have to say.... I'm REALLY disappointed.  They were pretty darn dry.  First of all, I <3 Golden Oreos!  I love them even more than regular Oreos, so I thought these were going to be smack your momma GOOD.  Boy was I mistaken.  The 52 Cupcakes blog I got the recipe from trumped it up by saying "Have you had one? OMG! I mean you really cannot eat one...just one!".  I thought wow I really need to try this!  You should have seen the pictures.  My mouth has been watering for days!  I think one of the issues is that our oven isn't cooking evenly.  I had the same problem with my Coconut Cupcakes, but they weren't quite THIS dry.  The recipe said to bake 20-25 minutes, however at 20 minutes mine weren't even cooked on top, so I put them back in for another 5 minutes.  When I took them out I noticed the tops were flat.  I am assuming this is because the recipe didn't call for baking soda or baking powder, but had self rising flower instead.  I guess I'm going to have to do some experimenting with a cake mix, and try and figure out the perfect baking time for cupcakes in MY oven.  The other problem was the Oreo in the bottom of the cupcake.  They were hard as a brick!  It had a somewhat ok flavor, but it seemed to be caramelized.  It was just weird.  I've seen it done in tons of other cupcakes.  Why did mine turn out like hockey pucks? lol I guess if you choke 'em down with some milk they'll be ok.  They look pretty though!  I guess you win some and lose some.  This recipe gets thumbs down.  Oh well... on to my next cupcaking adventure! **Update** I tried one the day after I made them, and the Oreo softened up a little bit.  The cupcake itself definitely had the Golden Oreo flavor, but it was too dry.  It's still not my favorite cupcake recipe, but I might try them again using a boxed cake mix and see how they turn out!

That's how they do that!

I was reading a post on Facebook this morning from my highschool friend Muerinda, and she mentioned that she was going to make iced Easter cookies using the "flooding" technique.  It was around the same time that I stumbled across these cute cupcake cookies and an article on How to flood cookies with royal icing, so I thought I'd share.  I always wondered how they got those cookies to be so perfect and pretty!  I've tried to make them before and it was a disaster.  This article does a great job detailing everything.  Now I can make my own Cookies by Design cookie bouguet's and not have to spend all that money!

Lordy Lordy, David turned 40!

My husband celebrated his 40th birthday this year, so for months prior I was wracking my brain trying to plan a party for him and come up with a theme. My husband adores video games, cigars and classic cars. (Wow, that rhymed!). To make a long story short, I decided to have his party at a local cigar bar called Island Girl. The next hurdle was trying to figure out what kind of birthday cake to get him. The problem is he hates cake! I wavered back and forth between finding a local bakery to make a cigar shaped cake or come up with an alternative like pie. I thought pie...cigar bar? It just didn't work. I started Googling 40th birthday parties and alot of people were using cupcake stands. Then it hit me! Camicakes! My husband LOVES their Red Velvet cupcakes just as much as I do. The bonus was there was no cutting or mess involved.  Just hand everyone a cupcake!  I found a Wilton Cupcakes 'N More Medium Dessert Stand at Bed Bath and Beyond for $19.99 (and used that $5 off coupon!) that holds 23 cupcakes.  I also found some fun candles at Party City that spelled out "Oh no the big 40". I couldn't have been more pleased with how it turned out and everyone just loved them of course!  I have a feeling that stand is going to get alot of use! ;o)

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

It seems these cupcakes have created quite a buzz, so here is the recipe!  I'd like to say I came up with it, but I have to give credit where credit is due.  You can thank Martha Stewart!  Now I expect everyone to make them and give me some feedback (and pics!).  Enjoy and happy cupcaking!

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, plus 2 more for garnish
2 cups cake flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place three of the bananas on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes (the peels will darken). Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 350.

Line your standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and the salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer set to medium-high speed, cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time and beat until each is fully incorporated. Add in the cooled roasted bananas and beat to combine. Add in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the sour cream. Add in the vanilla and beat to combine.

In another bowl, use an electric mixer set on high speed to whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter to lighten. Fold in the remaining whites in two batches.

Divide the batter evenly among the liners (about ¼ cup each). Bake for about 10 minutes, rotate pan, bake an additional 10 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack. You will more than likely have enough batter to make four more cupcakes.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 T honey
1/4 t ground cinnamon

Directions:

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients until fluffy and smooth. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with banana slices or banana chips.
 
Makes 16 cupcakes
 
Here is a couple of different ideas for presentation:
 

A can't live without!

This is at the top of my list of things I can't live without. I received my KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Mixer as a wedding gift 7 years ago.  I registered for it at Bed Bath and Beyond, and because of the price ($299.99) I never thought we'd get it.  I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up on my doorstep! I think it was the best wedding gift we got.  It has gotten a great deal of use (and abuse) over the years, but it keeps on mixin!

I love this mixer for several reasons:

#1. The steel bowl is indestructible. You can drop it on the floor, and won't crack!

#2. The mixing attachments (beater and paddle) are easy to get on and off.

#3. The bowl is stationary and easily locks and unlocks at the base. It won't "fly" off the turntable like my moms old one! 

#4.  It comes in 17 colors! 

Here's another little secret... if you sign up for the Bed Bath and Beyond mailing list, you'll start getting coupons for 20% off one item and $5 off your entire purchase.  If you use your 20% coupon toward the mixer, that brings the price down to $239.99.  What a deal!

If you want something a little more heavy duty, then there is also a KitchenAid ProLine 6-Quart Stand Mixer available for $399.99.

 











They also just came out with a KitchenAid 90th Anniversary Stand Mixer in candy apple red, however it comes with a glass bowl and a $349.99 price tag.  It's pretty to look at, but I think I'll stick with what I have!

Happy mixing!

Strawberry Surprise!

On the outside unassuming cupcake, but on the inside WOW! These cupcakes are called Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes and come from the Food Network Kitchens. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about eating lime flavored icing (just because I'm not a citrus fan), so I think I'd prefer another flavor. Maybe a strawberry whip cream icing (or even plain) and rename them Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes! These would be awesome to serve during the Spring or even around the 4th of July. Just add a cute little American Flag pick and voila!

Oh, just look at my beautiful garden!

I just loved Winnie the Pooh when I was a child, and when I ran across these cupcakes on the Disney Family website I thought they were just adorable! These miniature carrot topped cupcakes were inspired by Rabbit, who was forever working hard to protect his garden from uninvited guest. I would have never guessed the carrots were made out of orange Starbursts and green Twizzlers! Can you just imagine the look on a childs face when they see these? I know I would have loved them!

You'll need: 

Orange Starburst candies (one for each carrot)

Kitchen skewer or toothpick

Kitchen scissors

Green Twizzlers

Batch of chocolate cupcakes

White frosting

Cinnamon sugar

1. With clean hands, knead each Starburst candy and roll it into a mini carrot shape. If the candy is too stiff, you can microwave it for 4 or 5 seconds. But don't overdo it -- the candy will melt if it's overheated.

2. Use the skewer or toothpick to make a hole about 1/4-inch deep in the top of each carrot.

3. Cut 1 1/2-inch lengths from a Twizzler and then snip them in half vertically. Turn each half into a leafy top by cutting fringe in one end.

  

4. Insert the carrot tops into the holes in the carrots. If they don't fit, try trimming the bases a bit to taper them. Or use the skewer tip to gently push them in place.

5. When all the carrots are made (you'll want 2 or 3 per cupcake), frost the cupcakes and sprinkle the centers with cinnamon sugar to resemble a patch of sandy soil.

6. "Plant" the carrots in the cupcakes, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the orange candy showing.

Nobunny knows Easter better than Cadbury..and the Irish!

I saw these cupcakes and was like OMG!  I remember when I was a kid...I couldn't wait for Easter so I could get my hands on Cadbury Creme Eggs.  Who would have ever even thought to translate those into a cupcake?  The Irish of course!  Afterall, Cadbury is product of the UK.  These delectable little masterpieces were created by a Life is Sweet bakery in Belfast.  They're described as being "intensely chocolately Devil's Food Cake with a lightly flavoured vanilla Cadbury Creme Egg buttercream, topped with a cracked chocolate egg shell".  I think I've died and gone to Heaven!

~PS~
Just for grins and giggles, here is my favorite Cadbury commercial!  Bawk meow bawk meow!
Cadbury Bunny Tryouts

Easter Bunny cake... or cupcake cake?

I know what you're thinking, this isn't a cupcake silly woman!  Au contraire!  It was recently suggested that I make my Easter Bunny cake for work, so I was Googling some pictures to post.  This is what I found!  The book is called the Bakers Cut Up Cake Party Book and it was published in 1973 (the year after I was born!).  I had no idea where the cake design originally came from, I just know I've been making it since I was a teenager (yes, it's that easy!).  I also didn't know that there was a full-bodied Easter Bunny cake.  I'm trying to decide which I like better?  These could easily translate into a Easter Bunny cupcake cake as well.  All you'd need to do is lay them out in a similar pattern and then ice it the same way.  I may have to put that to the test!  I love to let my creative juices flow!  In my search I also found an earlier version of the same book that was from 1959 which was titled Baker’s Coconut Cut-Up Cakes.  Even though cake decorating has advanced alot since those books were published, I bet these will still come in super handy when I have children.  Vintage rocks!  eBay here I come!

1959

1973

I Heart Butterflies!

Etsy is my latest obsession, so you'll probably see a million posts about it.  It's like eBay for crafty creative people.  If that describes you, then you will just fall in love with it like I have!  I have a long list of things that make me smile, and Butterflies are one of them.  There is just something about a Butterfly flittering by that makes you stop what you're doing and pay attention to it.  I found this lovely little Butterfly cupcake wrapper today.  Isn't it just the most feminine dainty little thing you've ever seen?  It's from a seller named CupcakeFlair.  Once I figure out what sort of cupcake will do it justice, I'm SO ordering them!

Juicy Cupcake

Even my favorite designer Juicy Couture is getting into the cupcake spirit!  Check out these new charms.  Every girl needs a little bling!

Oh Baby!

I saw these on Etsy this morning, and they reminded me of my friend Becky.  She makes the most adorable diaper cakes.  These would be a perfect accessory to go along with them. What a cute idea!  The seller's name is Babycakes and Decor.  She makes onesie cupcakes, washcloth cupcakes, washcloth lollipops and a bunch of other really cutesy stuff!  She even put alot of thought into the presentation and packaging.  Now all I need is a baby!

Coconut Cupcakes

I guess you could say this is technically my second adventure in cupcaking, but since it's been several years since I've made any and this is my first blog posting, we'll just say it's my first! I was actually looking for something fun to make for Easter, but when I ran across Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) recipe for Coconut Cupcakes, I just couldn't wait that long to make them!  Although the ingredient list is extensive (13!) and they were not easy to make by any means, they were well worth the effort.  My husband even claimed they were the best thing I've ever baked and that I could put Camicakes out of business!  WOW!  I wouldn't go that far, but they are damn good! They turned out just perfect.  The cream cheese frosting and the hint of almond took these cupcakes to the next level.  They sort of reminded me of a macaroon.  I think you could even tweak the recipe a little and add some pineapple and voila.. you have a Pina Colada cupcake!  I may have to try that one of these days.  These turned out so good, I'm already planning my next adventure.  Let's just say you might go bananas for them!