I'm too old for cravings!!

So..the other day I was having a really bad chocolate/peanut butter craving.  No...I'm not pregnant.  Too old for that!  Anyway, I thought I would die if I didn't get something to take care of my craving, so I baked a chocolate cake and then frosted it with peanut butter frosting.  For the middle layer, I made the peanut butter frosting really like, almost like peanut butter fudge thick, and then chopped up mini peanut butter candy.

For the cake itself, I wanted to be quick so I used a regular box mix.  However, whenever I use a box cake mix, I beef it up a little bit.  I add 1 additional egg and substitute mild for the water called for on the box.  

I like to use round pans instead of a 9 x 13 pan for some reason.  I guess it makes me feel a little more like a professional.  

Here is a picture of the final project.  Craving satisfied.

Happy Birthday, little monkey!

My grandson turned 1 year old a few weeks ago.  My daughter asked me to make cupcakes for the guests and a smash cake for him.  Since before this boy was born, they have been collecting monkey items for him. It seemed fitting to carry this through the birthday cake.

Bear in mind, I am not a professional.  I am learning as I go.  I am also not an artist.  This was my first attempt at making a fondant animal.  It didn't turn out too bad..if I must say so myself.  It's amazing that you can type into youtube.com "how to make a fondant monkey" and get a video with step by step instructions!!

Here's the cake.  My grandson became more interested in eating the fondant dots instead of smashing the cake.  His mommy had to grab a piece for him, and then he was more interested in EATING the cake than he was smashing the rest.

Easter bark...and flowers

This past Easter, I was looking for something different to do other than the typical Easter nest cupcakes.  I saw a picture of the Easter bark and thought "that's something I have time to do, am able to do, might look nice, tough if it doesn't"  Here is a picture of the final result...

It's relatively simple to do.  Get a sheet pan, cookie sheet, etc. and put in a layer of wax paper.  Melt different colors of the Wilton chocolate wafers.  Once color at a time, spoon little puddles of chocolate over the sheet pan.  After each color, shake the pan from side to side or smack it on the counter to get rid of the bubbles and start to blend the colors.  Once you have all your colors spooned onto the sheet pan and get it smacked into submission, take a toothpick and drag it through the colors.  

Once I had the effect I wanted, I thought "well go me...I did it.  Now what?"  I made some cupcakes and frosted them with green frosting (grass) and then used a small cookie cutter to cut out little flower shapes.  I then put the flowers in the middle of the green frosting to look like flowers in the grass.

I thought they turned out darn near adorable...

Snickerdoodle cupcakes

Snicker Doodles aren’t just cookies anymore!!

As much of a peanut butter addict as I am (see below for whole story), my husband and son are cinnamon addicts.  I found this recipe on Pinterest.  I decided to make these cupcakes last Saturday.  They did not last more than 2 hours in my house!  My husband told me I could make these often if I wanted.  

Cinnamon is not my favorite, but I tried one of these cupcakes anyway.  Oh my…it was good.  Considering you put cinnamon in the cupcake batter, brush the still warm cupcake with melted butter and dunk it into sugar and cinnamon and THEN put cinnamon in the frosting..I thought it would be cinnamon overkill.  However, it was quite the contrary.  The cake was moist and the flavor subtle.  

I guess I’m going to have to put this in the regular rotation….only I might just have to double the recipe so they last the day!

Winter Wonderland cupcakes

It’s that time of year once again, time to shop ‘til you drop, time to go off to Grandma’s and time to BAKE!  By day, I have a desk job, so I do a lot of my shopping on the Internet, but I do occasionally take leave of my senses and go to the mall.  Last Sunday, we traveled to Grandma’s house for the annual family Christmas gathering.  It’s funny how you see your own kids getting older and bigger but don’t expect anyone else’s kids to have done the same.  

Now, for the baking!  I haven’t yet done my ohmygoshit’sChristmassoIhavetobakeeverything baking.  I had already done 2 pumpkin rolls (1 to take and 1 for my husband and son) and I decided to bake some cupcakes as there would be a lot of kids at our gathering.  I decided on a winter theme and came up with the “winter wonderland” cupcake.  

Here’s the link to the white cupcake recipe:

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/White-Cupcakes-Epicurious

I used a basic buttercream tinted blue using Wilton gel dye Light Blue.  I made my snowflakes with white chocolate melting wafers and used my squeeze bottle to shape them.  Oops…before I forget.  I added a little peppermint extract to the white chocolate before forming the snowflakes.  I then put coarse ground sugar on the chocolate to look like snow or ice crystals.  

They were yummy…and I only brought 3 home!

Candy Cane cupcakes

I participated in a multi-vendor Holiday Bazaar this past weekend.  The host is a friend of mine and she remembered I hand poured scented soy candles.  She asked me to bring some holiday scents to sell and anything else I may want to bring.  Hmmmm…I wonder what else to bring.  CUPCAKES!!  Keeping with the holiday theme, I decided to make Candy Cane Cupcakes.  I used my “makes ‘em weak in the knees” chocolate cupcake recipe and added some peppermint to the frosting.  Trying to drum up business for my baking company, I offered the cupcakes as samples.  They were a big hit.  One lady even thought they were candles in the shape of cupcakes.  She said “they are too perfect to be food!”  Umm….Ok.  I’ll take that.  

Will you make Princess cupcakes, Mimi?

Mimi?  Can you make me Disney Princess cupcakes for my princess party?  

My 4-year-old granddaughter asked me this before she turned 4 a few weeks ago.  What am I supposed to say to that?  Of course I said “yes.”  I was not going to put the actual figurines on top of the cupcakes, so I decided to just make the frosting the colors of the princess’ dresses.  On top of the cupcakes, I sprinkled coarse-ground sugar to make them sparkly.  I then made her a special cake with a tiara on top.  She LOVED it!  She thanked me over and over again.  It was nice to be her hero for the day.

PItter Patter of Little Feet cupcakes

My daughter asked me to bake cupcakes for her boss’ baby shower.  I asked my daughter what kind of cupcakes she wanted, but there was no real answer other than “she’s having a boy, she likes teal and she’t not a girlie girl.”  So….this is what I came up with.

I made chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes.  When they cooled, I colored the buttercream frosting and then put it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.  This made is somewhat of a glaze consistency.  I dipped the cupcakes in the frosting and then put them in the refrigerator to harden a bit.

I got a packet of stencils at the store a while back, and I found some baby stuff on one of the stencils.  I could not get the other things to come out in a manner that would be recognizable; so after much trial and error, I decided to make “pitter patter of little feet” cupcakes.  I took white buttercream, put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then poured it into a squeeze bottle (you could also use a piping bag and a small round tip).  I held the stencil over the cupcake and then filled it in with the white buttercream (think Royal Icing on cookies). 

I thought they were just about as cute as the day is long…I hope they went over well at the shower.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter cake

sooo…I had a family reunion to attend yesterday.  I know you all know how much fun they are right?  I decided to make something that would ease the pain.  Going back to my love affair with peanut butter, I knew exactly what I had to do.  Since I am trying to hone my baking skills in the hopes of someday adding some extra income with them, I decided I was going to make a zebra cake.  I had limited time and a box of each of the white and chocolate cake in the cupboard.  I saw on Pinterest how to spruce up a box cake and I decided to try it.  I used milk instead of water and then added another egg white to the eggs called for by the instructions.  Off I go. 

The cake is baking, and I decide to make my peanut butter frosting.  YUM!!  I have to make more than I origianally intend because I have to taste so much to be sure it’s right.  HAHAHA…believe that and there is some land I want to sell you!!  I just love that frosting.  Back to the cake…I made two 8-inch round cakes.  I did the typical layer cake thing.  Got it all frosted and then used some chocolate frosting from a tub to make what ended up looking like Hershey kisses around the top of the cake and around the base.  Now, for the final touch….I cut up mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and spread them on the top of the cake.  OMG!!!  I couldn’t wait to get there and have everyone marvel over it.  Here’s where I went wrong……

I forgot to take a picture of my masterpiece at this point, and now I regret that.  I forgot to mention at the beginning of my story that the family reunion is a 2-hour drive north…and it’s July.  You do the math.  I failed miserably in the task of cake transportation.  By the time I got to the reunion, the peanut butter cups had melted into some kind of chocolate peanut butter mosaic on the top of my cake and some of my chocolate kisses on the top of the cake slid down the side of the cake.  I was so embarrassed I thought I would die. 

However, let me tell you how wonderfully delicious that cake turned out to be.  The gooey mess on the top of the cake ended up just enhancing the flavor of the frosting and the cake.  Everyone loved it (or they were just being nice, as the Pennsylvania German folk often are). 

This is what was left of my cake after the reunion.  It was an adventure…

Coconut Cream cupcakes

My husband loves his mother’s coconut cream pie.  I do not eat coconut, so I can’t tell you whether it’s actually good or not.  I decided I needed to make something to rival that pie.  After looking around on Pinterest, I found a coconut cream bar recipe.  TA DA!!  I can change a few things and have myself a coconut cream cupcake. 

Step 1:  Toast the coconut.  I put the coconut in the oven at about 275 until the coconut got “toasty” looking…that’s a technical term, by the way.  The picture here is darker than the actual coconut.

Step 2:  Make the pudding (Ok..I cheated.  I used instant pudding).  When the pudding sets up, add about 3/4 cup coconut to the pudding).

Step 3:  Make the cupcakes!!  I used a regular vanilla box cake and bake according to your stove and box instructions (my stove runs hot, so I bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes)  After they cool, cut out the center of the cupcakes.

Step 4:  Put the pudding/coconut mix in the holes.  Add frosting (I used white frosting from a can and mixed in about half a tub of Cool Whip….dear hubby doesn’t like frosting too sweet) and then top with the toasted coconut from step 1.

Here’s the finished product.  Again, I don’t eat coconut, so I can’t say whether or not they are good, but hubby at 4 or 5 already tonight….you do the math!!

My lovely baking assistant...

I would like to introduce you all to my lovely baking assistant.  We all know a good baking assistant can make or break your efforts.  I have one of the best in the business.  Her name is Annabel.  She is very supportive, even when I get a crazy idea.  She is not afraid to show me some love after a long day of baking.  Heck, she even cleans up the messes I make on the floor.  Who could ask for more?

Here she is!!

What happens when you combine chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter and chocolate brownies? YUM!!

I saw something similar to this on Pinterest.  My curiosity was piqued because of my love affair with all things peanut butter. 

Today, I decided to make an attempt at these little pieces of scrumptiousness.

First step:  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

OK, I cheated.  I had some Pillsbury ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookes (in the tube) in my fridge.  Take an amount equal to or just less than the amount you would use to make a cookie and smoosh that into the bottom of your cupcake paper.

Second step:  Take about 1-1/2 cups of peanut butter and about 1/4 cup of olive oil (that makes it healthy right?) and mix into a bowl.  This will thin the peanut butter and make a “meltaway” consistency.  Making you hungry yet?

Put the peanut butter meltaway on top of the chocolate chip batter.

Third step:  OK…I cheated again.  I used a box mix of brownies, the family sized box.  Mix that up according to the directions on the box and place on top of the other mixtures in the cupcake paper.

Yippee!!  It’s all put together and you are closer to the finished product!!

I put my oven rack on the highest setting because the cookie has a shorter baking time than the brownie.  I didn’t want to have raw brownie with burned cookie.  SO—put the trays in the oven and bake for 20 minutes give or take. 

When the brownie is not still wet on the top, they are done.  Allow them to cool completely before coming out of the cupcake pans so they do not fall apart. 

This is the finished product.

Peanut Butter Love Affair

OK..I admit it.  I am obsessed with peanut butter.  Peanut butter, much like bacon, is the perfect food.  Whether it comes in ice cream, cookies, cake, combined with jelly in a sandwich or straight from the jar…it’s perfect, and I am in love.

I have a hard time accepting the fact that other people do not feel the same way about peanut butter that I do.  I make all these desserts that include peanut butter and wonder why my family says “peanut butter again?”  Of course, what else is there?

I find as I am scrolling through Pinterest that I am drawn to the desserts with peanut butter in them.  It’s like a magnet and I am metal. 

Bananas Foster cupcakes

BANANAS FOSTER CUPCAKES

Yesterday, I was cleaning my kitchen and came across 1 last remaining banana.  Instead of throwing it away, I decided on bananas foster (or at least my interpretation of it) cupcakes. 

I started out by making the syrup for the bananas:

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Melt the butter and then add the other ingredients.  Once combined, add the banana(s). 

Once you have this completed, begin the batter for the cupcakes.  Save the syrup in the pan for the last step of the process.

Recipe modified from www.allrecipes.com

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed banana (I used the bananas from the syrup in step 1)

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Add the eggs, vanilla, banana and buttermilk.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to banana mixture.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

These cupcakes are a little more dense than usual cupcakes and the color is a little darker than you might expect.  I suspect the color is due to the brown sugar in the banana mixture.  They remain, however, surprisingly moist.

After the cupcakes cool, add basic buttercream frosting.  Lastly, drizzle with the syrup saved from step 1.  Make sure the syrup is cool enough to not melt your frosting.

Enjoy!!  My husband is usually much of a sweets eater.  I usually keep a few cupcakes to the side unfrosted for him.  He came in from working outside yesterday and tried one of the unfrosted ones.  He could not even finish the cupcake before saying “oh my gosh these are good” (or at least that’s what I think he said)….hard to tell with a mouth full of cupcake.

Memorial Day cupcakes

MEMORIAL DAY CUPCAKES

My husband’s family has a picnic the day before Memorial Day every year.  I decided….you guessed it…to make cupcakes.  How do I make them look patriotic without looking cheesy?  White cake, blue frosting, red strawberries!!  I got a new mandolin (food slicer), and I needed an excuse to try it out anyway.  It worked like a charm. 

While we are talking about Memorial Day, let’s remember the reason for the day.  It’s not just parades, picnics and one-day sales at Macy’s (although, let’s face it…that’s pretty cool).  Countless brave Americans have fearlessly gone to battle for the rest of us and made the ultimate sacrifice.  I, for one, can never thank them enough. 

Gold Medal cupcakes

GOLD MEDAL CUPCAKES

Well…yellow medal cupcakes, I know.  This is my first attempt at working with fondant.  I got the fondant that was already tinted.  Baby steps!!  I found it was surprisingly simple once I got the hang of it.  Just like rolling out pie dough.  I used a pizza cutter to make the medal ribbons.  After they were cut to size, I just formed them to shape.  I then used a circle template to cut out the medals.  Had I not been in such a rush to finish, I would have put more detail on them….maybe next time.

These cupcakes were made for the members of my son’s percussion ensemble, Phoenix Indoor Percussion, who placed first in their division at their championships.  Last year’s crew got spoiled with my cupcakes pretty much every week, but my schedule kept me from doing much baking for them this year.  I thought I better whip up a batch for them for championships or I would have to walk back home.

No matter how basic the attempt, the kids seemed to enjoy them…and then asked why they hadn’t been spoiled like that more often.  KIDS!!

Butterfly cupcakes

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

My daughter recently had her second child.  I decided that instead of having the traditional girls-only baby shower, I would do a big family party.  As it turns out, she delivered the baby 3 weeks early, so it turned into a “meet the new baby” party.  We also did not want to leave our granddaughter out of the celebration, so we combined “meet Baby Chase” with “Maddie’s a big sister.” 

Since there would be several small children at the party, I decided against a cake.  Instead, I thought about making cupcakes, of course.  I made a chocolate box mix cake (since I had so much else to do to prepare) and then made a basic buttercream frosting.  I used Wilton green gel food coloring to tint the buttercream.  I then used Wilton Candy Melts in light cocoa to trace the outline of the butterflies.  Once these were set, I used more of the candy melts and tinted them with Wilton gel food coloring in pink and blue.  I filled in the outlines with the pink or blue and then tapped the counter to smooth out the tinted chocolate and get out any bubbles.  I then detailed the wings with more melted light cocoa.  The final step was to make the butterfly bodies by making a small line on wax paper with the light cocoa melt and adding the wings. 

Easter Nest cupcakes

EASTER NEST CUPCAKES

I decided to something a little different this year for Easter.  Instead of making the usual white cake with coconut, I decided to make these Easter Nest cupcakes.  My granddaughter really loved them. 

I started off with a chocolate box cake mix and made the cupcakes.  For the frosting, I used a basic buttercream and tinted it green with Wilton gel food coloring.  I used the grass/hair tip and made the nest.  I then took Peanut Butter M&M Eggs and put them in the nests. 

Patriot Pride cupcakes

PATRIOT PRIDE CUPCAKES…

I made these cupcakes for the marching band competition hosted last Fall by my son’s high school, Red Land Marching Patriots (hence the patriotic colors and music notes).

I cheated this time by using a yellow box mix for the cupcake itself.  I then made a basic buttercream icing.  I then used Wilton Red Candy Melts to make the music notes, melting the chocolate and forming the notes on wax paper.  I took spray food coloring (in a can sold in the baking aisle), I sprayed the blue coloring on the white buttercream and then placed the music notes on the cupcakes for the finished product.

Where it all began....

My love of baking goes back to my childhood.  I stayed with my grandmother while my parents worked.  She was a no-nonsense kind of woman whose religion and family were the things she held dear.  She and my grandfather did not live in luxury.  I remember early in my childhood “helping” her put the clothes through the wringer washer.  She made her own clothes until shortly before her death, and my job was to catch the material as she would sew it.  I thought I had a really important job back then, but I now know she was probably just trying to keep me busy. 

As I grew up, I kind of forgot all the things I learned from my grandmother.  I got busy with my life being a young adult, getting married, having and raising children.  What I’m finding now as I get older; however, is that I’m drawn back to the things I learned from her.  I find myself doing things now that remind me of her.  I look at my hands and I see hers, quite literally.  They look like I remember hers looking. 

Now that I am more mature, wiser, older, I am now getting back into baking.  I have always enjoyed baking, but I now have a great love of it.  I would just love to have a little shop where I could bake and bake all day (with someone else to clean it up).  That is my “if I win the lottery, even though I don’t play the lottery” dream.  I have often also thought about starting a catering-type service for baked goods wherein if you don’t bake and need something, you call me.  I will make something homemade (Made by Mimi) for you.  Until I get that going, I will continue to provide my friends and family with baked goods at parties and events.

Thanks Gram, for giving me such a great gift.  I can only hope I can give my children and grandchildren as great of a gift as you have given to me.