OH YEAH

also, wow how on earth did I forget this?! I'm famous!!!

ok, so maybe not famous. BUT I did put into a magazine!

my cousin's awesome wedding was published in Alaska Bride magazine, and my cupcakes got a picture and a little shout out.

http://www.alaskabride.com/_pages/local_weddings/sf_11/kristen_jeffrey.html

yay!

haven't done anything for a while, thought I'd share an old picture

cheater "fancy" nutty devil's food cupcakes

so today was a pretty lazy saturday, except for making cupcakes... jeff asked if I would make dessert if he ordered dinner, so I agreed- I always want treats and I was pretty bored anyway.

I was trying to think up something fun, and I remembered I had a boxed cake mix in the pantry. it's actually been a while since I've used one, so I figured why not? my problem is I always have to screw around recipes and add something or find a new/weird way to make it.

so obviously I couldn't just make a plain ol' devil's food cake (or cupcakes). instead I decided to do devil's food cupcakes w/nutella filling, peanut butter-cinnamon frosting, and chocolate butterscotch swirl on top. see, I told you- I can't just leave things alone.



since I just used a box, there's not really much of a recipe. just follow the instructions on the box, and then:

• fill cupcake liners about halfway up w/batter, then spoon in about 1/4 teaspoon of nutella, cover nutella w/just a little more batter.
• bake according to instructions on box (about 20 minutes).

Frosting:

• about 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on how thick/thin you want the frosting)
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• approx. 1/4 cup milk
• cream all ingredients together on medium in stand mixer until creamy and fluffy.
  

for the chocolate on top I melted about 2/3 cup of a mix of regular semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in the microwave for about 20 seconds at a time, stirring, until it was all smooth and evenly melted. spoon it into a plastic zip-top bag, clip off a tiny end to pipe onto the cupcakes.



and yeah, that's about it! I only tasted a half of a test cupcake, cause the rest are for dessert, but I'm pretty pleased w/the outcome.

wake and bake

ok, not like THAT, but I got your attention right? lately I've been getting the urge to cook and bake a lot, especially on sunday mornings. I was sitting in bed today, trying to think about what I could make when I got up... and I got an idea- cornbread muffins! ok so I know, they're not actually cupcakes. but I mean, why not? they're the same shape, they're usually sweet, you make them in the same pan, aaand I wanted to blog about baking.

SO TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET. :)

Sweet and Savory Cornbread Muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease muffin pan or use cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, onion, and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. This step is up to you, but I always like to sprinkle a little sugar on top when they're about halfway through cooking. It adds just a little extra sweetness and crunch that I love.
   

*I actually made 12 muffins, and a six-inch "corncake," but this should make about 12-18 muffins if you just stick to that. also my original recipe said to bake for about 20-25 min, but like I said- they got a little too done at 20 minutes for me.




I think these turned out super delicious. they actually reminded me a little bit of hush puppies, which made me very happy. you could probably use this as a hush puppy batter, honestly. maybe just make it a little thicker, and drop it in some hot oil. mmmm. I might just have to do that.

I'm pretty happy with this recipe, it's good for breakfast/brunch, dinner, or just a snack. and now more pictures. :) I hope you enjoy!

ni hao, again!

first off, can I just say I sort of want to learn Mandarin now?
secondly, I know I said this was going to happen yesterday, but I had to go see monster trucks. so sue me...

anyhow, CAAAAKE! honestly there's not really too much to write about these bad boys, since I did a bit of an intro friday night. they were super fun to make, and not nearly as melt-down inducing as some other cake projects I've embarked upon.

first, the cupcakes... these were more an accessory to the cake, but just as yummy!


then the actual cake-the frosting ended up getting a little crackle-y in some places, which kind of bummed me out, but I think it still turned out pretty cute... even though I made Kai-lan look like she ate a few too many donuts before her big appearance on cake... haha.






close-up shot... it'd been a while since I've exercised my frosting drawing skillzzz, but I think it turned out ok.
















the most important thing, though is that the "client" is happy. judging by her little excited smile, I think it all worked out.

ni hao, cupcakes

ok, so I'm baking up a new post. this next one is gonna be a little more about a big cake, but there will be cupcakes! oh there will...

I'm making a cake and accompanying cupcakes for a 3 year old's birthday tomorrow. little kid cakes are the best! they're so much fun. anyway, so the theme is:


it should be fun. I'll have an update and pictures tomorrow.

also- tonight I did some cakesperimentation. aaaand it was kind of an epic fail. I don't use that phrase loosely. it was rough. one of my favorite things is making cupcakes with pop (or soda, for you non-midwesterners). it's suuuper, super easy and really delicious. well, it's easy with boxed cake mix. I decided I was going to be adventurous and see if I could make them with a from-scratch mix... hahaha oh man. it was a big mess. I wasn't even mad about it so much as it was kind of just hilarious how ridiculous it turned out. what's that? you want proof? ok, I'll provide tonight's entertainment...

umm, yeah... so hey at least I learned something! that didn't work! I'll keep trying though. I can't take over the world by giving up on easy cupcakes. maybe I'll try out making cake balls or something... maybe. orrrr just go the more barbaric route and scrape them out of the pan and eat them with my hands. only time will tell, really.

well that's it for me tonight, just wanted to check in. see you tomorrow- with ACTUAL cupcakes.

aaaand we're back!

hey everybody! it sure has been a long time since I've worked on this. it's the "slow season" but I'm gonna make good w/my promise about the red velvet cakes.

I think they might just be my favorite cupcakes... like... ever. because chocolate AND wine in a cupcake? um, yes please! oh yeah, by the way they're red velvet Shiraz cupcakes. you could probably use whatever red wine you like, but going off of the bride and groom's preference I used shiraz. boy-oh-boy are they delicious.

first comes the recipe- pictures to follow. :)

Red Velvet Shiraz Cupcakes

*1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
*3/4 cup sugar
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1/2 tsp salt
*2 Tbs cocoa powder
*3/4 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 cup buttermilk (or you could just use regular milk and add about a tsp of wine or vinegar to it, let it sit for at least 5 min before using)
*1 egg
*1 Tbs red food coloring
*1/2 tsp white or cider vinegar
*1 tsp vanilla
*1/4 cup Shiraz (or whatever red you prefer) red wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together dry ingredients in separate bowl.

In stand mixer, or w/hand mixer, mix together oil, milk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, wine, and vanilla- at medium speed.

Gradually add dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, don't over mix.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean


ok, now for the pictures! I wish I could take credit for these photos, but my camera died halfway through the wedding. so big thanks to alaskaphotographyanddesign.com for taking these great photos!

the little chocolate airplanes were so fun to make and definitely added a super cute extra bit of personality.

I'd really love to see/hear how these cupcakes turn out if you try them!