Mint Julep Cupcakes

A mint julep cupcake with cream cheese frosting...yum!

And....they're off!

Living in Kentucky all my life, it's impossible not to feel an adrenaline rush twice in the spring.  The first being in March when the NCAA tournament bracket is announced.  The second, when the Derby Festival is kicked off in grand style with Thunder over Louisville followed days of hot air balloon races, marathons, countless parties, fabulous hats, and, of course, mint juleps!

Personally, I do not care for the drink itself.  Not very Kentuckian of me...I know.  That's why I was elated when I discovered that some other baking geeks had turned it into a more palate pleasing offering.  After some sleuthing, I took some bits and pieces of recipes (mostly offered by Coconut and Lime and Hostess with the Mostess) and used my own southern intuition.  Mammaw would be proud!

Mint Julep Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup bourbon

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

2 egg, at room temperature
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint

Directions:
Allow the mint to seep in the milk for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 cupcake liners and place in muffin tin. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture. Strain the milk into the bowl and add the bourbon to the rest of the batter and beat until well combined. Fill each well 2/3 of the way full. Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with just one or two dry crumbs. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before icing with mint buttercream frosting.


Note:  I found that slightly muddling the mint with the milk made for a more infused flavor.  Also, it allows the recipe to stay true to the concept of the mint julep drink itself.  (That or just use 1/2 cup of creme de menthe if you have some!)  When it comes time to strain, try a coffee filter.  Also, if your batter seems a bit too runny, don't be afraid to add flour 1/8 cup at a time.  

Mint Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients: 

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
fresh mint sprig or leaf

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients until well blended. Frost on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with fresh mint sprig or leaf.  Note:  It's fine to add more confectioners' sugar until you have the proper frosting consistency.

Blueberry Scones

I may never buy a coffee house scone again!

Do you remember July 29, 1981?  I do.  Watching a real, live fairy tale unfolding before my eyes.  Now, the world is ready and a new generation will be able to share stories with their children about the day that William married Kate.

What better way to celebrate watching the festivities than enjoying a cup of Earl Grey and a blueberry scone?  In honor of the big day, I decided to push my baking envelope a bit...after all, I've ordered a small fortune in scones at coffee houses.  It's about time I learned to make them myself!  And, to my pleasant surprise, they are easy!  Crazy easy.

Ok, I cheated...my scones are not an old British recipe passed down through the ages.  No, my recipe is from a good friend, Martha White.  Perhaps you know her from her muffins.  That's right...the 88 cent muffin mix!  Don't judge...just try them!

Note to self: Add pastry blender to William-Sonoma shopping list.

Blueberry Scones Recipe from Martha White

Ingredients

	Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray (I used parchment paper...as always!)
Scones
2 (7 oz.)	packages Martha White® Blueberry Muffin Mix
1/4	cup butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2	cup sour cream

 

Preparation Directions

1.	HEAT oven to 400º F. Coat large cookie sheet with no-stick spray. Place muffin mix in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until texture of small peas. Stir in sour cream until combined.  Note:  I didn't have a pastry blender so I just cut my butter into small slices and used the KitchenAid on slow stir.  I've read the consistency should be that of wet sand.
2.	PRESS together with floured hands. Place on lightly floured surface. Press together and knead 3 to 4 times until smooth ball forms. Pat out into a 6-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges with large knife or pizza cutter. Place on prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on pan. Gently remove to cooling rack.
3.	STIR together cream cheese, sugar, orange peel and orange juice in medium bowl until well blended. Serve with scones.

Prep Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Serving size: 8 Scones

Pastry blender from Williams-Sonoma

Cake Pops

Cake pops ready for a baby shower!

Ever since I stumbled upon Bakerella's website a while back, I've notice these cute concoctions popping up all over.  Honestly, I'm not sure why I waited so long to give cake pops a whirl because they are so darn easy and fun to make!  A company baby shower was the perfect excuse to me to finally give it a go.  Time consuming, yes, but definitely something easy enough that even the little bakers could enjoy making!  The internet is loaded with cake pop recipes but I believe I have mine memorized and that's what I'll share with you because it worked.

INGREDIENTS

cake mix
can of frosting
2 bags candy melts (I used Wilton)
sprinkles, jimmies, sugar sparkles (if desired)
candy/cookie sticks (I used Wilton)
block or wreath of styrofoam

DIRECTIONS
1. First, you'll need to make a cake.  Just a plain 9 x13, out of a box (or scratch if you're so inclined), cake any flavor you want.  I chose devil's food (it's what I had in the pantry).  Make the cake according to directions, let it cool completely.

2. Next, find a large bowl.  Transfer the cake by pieces into the bowl.  Yes, you are destroying the cake you just made!  This is where the little ones can have fun.  Pound the heck out of the cake!  Add the can of frosting at this point and stir it all together until it becomes this sweet smelling ball of dough.  Don't eat it!  I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about 1/2 hour to set.

3. Fun begins....Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper.  Remove cake dough from fridge.  Start rolling into 1" balls and lay onto cookie sheet (kind of like making buckeyes at Christmas).  This dough will make a ton.  Mine made between 40-50!  Not bad.  Go ahead....try one.  You know you want to.  Place cookie sheets with cake dough back in fridge to set for another 15-30 min.

4. Melt your chocolate bark or candy melts according to package directions in microwave safe bowl.  Careful not to scorch.  I played it safe and would heat for 20, stir, heat for 20, stir again, etc.  I also added a spoonful of Crisco just to smooth and thin the texture a bit, but that's not required!

5. Remove cookie sheets with cake dough.  Dip cookie/candy sticks ends into melted candy and stick into center of each ball to act as an anchor.  The candy will harden like glue and make it less likely for the ball to slide off when dipping later.

6. Showtime!  Dip each ball careful to let excess candy drip before decorating.  Stick finished cake pop into styrofoam to dry!

March Madness

Photo credit Tina Phan via kathyphantastic

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  If your team is headed to the Final Four, it's definitely time to celebrate and when I saw these super cute cake pops I just had to post them.  No, I DID NOT make these but I am inspired to try some!

Photo credit Tina Phan

Living in Kentucky, I'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't like both basketball and cake!  Combine the two and I'm sure to have a winner...right?  Unlike my NCAA bracket this year.  It's pretty much a bust!  Cake pops are all the rage thanks to kitchen divas like Bakerella.  I've yet to give them a spin even though they seem super easy.  Check it out.

Cake Ball Mix

What you need
1 batch Super Moist Devil's Food Cake (store bought)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk (or more, as necessary)

Bake the cake and let it cool completely on a rack. This is a very moist cake, which is ideal for this recipe. It's best to let it cool overnight at least. When it is completely cool, break the cake into a large bowl. Crumble it with forks or your fingers until it is in fine crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and milk together until smooth. Pour into the cake crumbs and mix with a spoon. Then continue mixing with your fingers, kneading and mixing until fully incorporated into the cake. Check to see if it will roll into a ball. It should: this makes a very malleable, easy-to-handle cake mixture. But if it needs a little extra moisture, add milk a spoonful at a time.

When the mix is completely done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. You can leave the mix refrigerated for several days at this point. You could probably also freeze this.

Making Cake Pops

What you need
Lollipop sticks (found at Michael's, JoAnn's, or other craft stores)
12 ounces chocolate chips
12 ounces white chocolate bark
Edible wax, optional
Colored sugars, candies, and other decorative sprinkles

Rainbow Cupcakes

What's St. Patrick's Day without a leprechaun chasing a rainbow to find a pot of gold?  At least that's how I'm justifying serving up these cupcakes today's for my daughter's class!  This day is about more than just pinching your neighbor who's not wearing green.  Ok, admittedly perhaps I like St. Patty's more than the average person, but I can't help it.  It's in my blood.  Literally.

Anyway, back to the cupcakes.  I happened upon this recipe during one of our many snow days earlier in the year and knew I had to give it a shot!  It's one of those tricked out cake mix recipes - love those!  But...it is a wee bit (there's the Irish) labor intensive, so be warned.  I think this is a great idea for any springtime event - rainbows = spring, right?   As with any recipe, there are usually multiple variations floating around on the web.  I found the one I liked on With Sprinkles on Top, one of my favorite blogs.  NOTE:  She made buttercream icing for her cupcakes.  Since these were for a school class, I went the easy route and used canned frosting.  Chances are nine year olds are not food critics.

Rainbow Cupcakes

(Adapted from Withsprinklesontop.net)

1 box white cake mix (plus ingredients needed for the box mix, like eggs and vegetable oil)
Food coloring (I used Wilton gel colors: violet, sky blue, leaf green, orange, yellow, Christmas red)
24 cupcake liners

1. Make cake mix according to directions on box.
2. Divide the batter into six bowls. (I used 1 cup of batter per bowl.)
3. Color each bowl of batter with a different dye.
4. Line cupcake pans with liners and spoon a LITTLE of each color batter into the liners. I started with purple and worked my way up to red. Don’t worry about them not being perfectly balanced or neat, they will turn out regardless!  Remember - ROY G. BIV!  (Rainbow acronym)
5. Bake according to the recommendations on the box.

Decorate!

I found cute shamrock candies by Wilton at Michael's as well as gold pearl dust and lightly sprinkled that on the frosting.  (What's a rainbow without gold?)

Luck of the Irish

Kiss Me I'm Irish Cakes

I've often wondered what life was like for my Great-Great-Grandfather Porter in Ireland before immigrating to the United States.  Recent marketing ploys have me wanting to find out more and search Ancestry.com but what I'd really like to do is walk the countryside and see the very sites where my family once lived, farmed, and gathered with friends.  Knowing some of what I do about my heritage, I'm not exactly sure that my GG Grandfather would have kicked back at the local pub after a hard day in the field and shared a pint with the likes of Darby O'Gill and Sean Garrigan.  But...maybe a bit of me likes to imagine that he would...after all, that's what this week is about, right?  Celebrating Irish heritage, the legend of St. Patrick who brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, and dreaming catching little men in the hopes of getting wishes granted.

In honor of my own Irish heritage, I decided to combine my new found love of baking with a touch of the homeland.  The result...something I'm calling Kiss Me I'm Irish Cakes (but feel free to call them anything you want)!  There are many variations of this recipe online.  I took bits and pieces of a few and fit them to meet my needs (and what I had readily available).  Warning:  Due to the fact that this is related to an Irish heritage...yes, liquor is involved!  Straight up Irish whiskey and stout in these cupcakes if you please!  

KISS ME I'M IRISH CAKES

(Adapted from several recipes)

Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
3. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 tea. salt in large bowl to blend.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sour cream together with an electric mixer.
5. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine.
6. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.
7. Fill the lined cupcake pans 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake 17 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack.


Frosting
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Bailey’s

1. Cream the butter with an electric mixer.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar
3. Add the desired amount of Bailey’s (or milk, if you don’t like Baileys) to the frosting to make it a little creamier.
4. Ice the cupcakes and decorate.

Westward, Ho!

One of the great things about being the mom of an elementary student is the family interaction when it comes to school projects!  One of the great things about being the teacher is seeing all of those projects carried into class by students and parents alike...both beaming with pride on their collaborations!  Enter such a project....Westward Expansion.

"Pioneers would have stirred..."

It's not unlike my child to wait until the very last possible moment to make up her mind about what to wear, eat, play or, in this case, create for her social studies project.  Each child received a list of several ideas relating to the Manifest Destiny....skits, reports, dioramas, and (surprise) recipes.  Ok, the project list was my doing...I'm still a kid at heart and remember the fun of research and creativity.  And, yes, I've been a history geek as long as I can remember.

Finally, after days of hounding, poking and prodding, my dear child finally decided on making some pioneer food.  (Yes!)  No, really, I did not lead her in this direction....honest!  So...to the web.   Who knew there were so many pioneer recipes out there?  Hoe cakes, Brunswick Stew, pocket yams, rice cakes, potato candy (I really wanted to try this one), jerky, and doughnuts!  Well, those were some of the tame recipes....trust me, there are plenty more.

So....here's what we learned tonight about the pioneers and their vittles on the trail:

Prepping the dough for frying

Pioneer people were also called early settlers. They did not have many of the foods we have today. Almost every meal they ate had corn as one of the dishes.  They ate things like dried corn, cream corn, hull corn, dried corn mush, and sometimes they ate corn bread. Some people still eat these foods.  Another thing they had was crabapple jelly, and sun-dried fruit. Sometimes for dessert they ate huckleberry pie, and pumpkin pie. Pioneers collected blackberries, gooseberries, and blueberries. Another common pioneer food was doughnuts.

(Excerpt from Cooking on the Trail - http://library.thinkquest.org/6400/cooking.htm)

She read the recipes, studied the ingredients and directions, and decided on doughnuts.  After all, who doesn't like fried bread covered in sugar?

Yummy doughnut with brown sugar and cinnamon!

This recipe is from The Little House Cookbook.

For 2 dozen doughnuts you will need:

 2 pounds lard
1 egg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2¼ cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
a shaker full of powdered sugar
quart kettle
quart bowl
rolling pin
candy thermometer

Melt the lard in kettle over low heat.  Beat egg, baking soda, and salt into the sour cream in the bowl.  Beat in 1 cup of flour until well mixed.  Continue to work in flour, ¼ cup at a time, until you have a dough that can be rolled.  Roll the dough in a strip about 4 by 16 by ¼ inches.  With a floured knife cut into inch strips about five eighth inch wide.
Heat the lard to 375 degrees F.  Twist a strip like a corkscrew (it will stretch as you do); bring ends together and pinch them.  Drop twisted dough in hot fat.  In 2 minutes the dough should be brown on both sides, crisp and cooked through.  If browning takes more than 3 minutes, the fat is not hot enough; if browning takes less time, the fat is too hot.
Remove cooked doughnut to brown paper to drain and coat it with powdered sugar.  Continue twisting and cooking the remaining dough strips.  Serve the doughnuts immediately.

Mardi Gras!

Sweet dough and PC tools

There's definitely a reason to call it Fat Tuesday...I realized this as I watched my sweet, yeast-filled dough puff in a hot boiling pot of oil!  Yep, it's beignet time again.

Like I mentioned earlier, there is an official mix produced by Cafe Du Monde.  I've never tried this, but have an inkling that it's probably a mixture of the dry ingredients included in many beignet recipes.  Speaking of recipes, you already know how much I love Allrecipes.com.  When looking at my favorite beignet recipe, I came across another that's just slightly different.  The results, however, were definitely more satisfying.

Ready for powdered sugar

Note to self: must buy a good spider from Williams-Sonoma.  It would be infinitely handy in my beignet production!

Spider skimmer from WS

COSTAS FRENCH MARKET DOUGHNUTS (Beignets)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon yeast 1/4 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup boiling water

1 cup evaporated milk 2 eggs, beaten 7 1/2 cups flour 1 quart vegetable oil for frying 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Pour 1/2 cup room temperature water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand for about 5 minutes to dissolve.
2.	Combine the shortening, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over the shortening mixture and then stir in the evaporated milk. Wait for the mixture to cool down until it is lukewarm. Then, add the yeast and water mixture and beaten eggs.
3.	Slowly mix in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4.	Working with a small portion (a little larger than a baseball) at a time, roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut the rolled out dough into strips 2 to 3-inches wide, then cut again in the opposite direction and at an angle, making diamond shapes.
5.	Heat your oil for frying in a deep and wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degree F (180 degrees C).
6.	Slide dough slowly into the oil to avoid splattering and deep fry until they puff up and are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove onto a rack with paper towels underneath and allow to cool until you can handle them. Place in a clean paper bag with confectioners' sugar and shake gently until covered generously or, use a sifter to dust the beignets with powdered sugar.

Cafe au lait, anyone?

First batch of beignets...not Cafe du Monde, but not bad!

I'll admit, I've never been to Mardi Gras nor have I ever visited New Orleans.  (It's on my list.)  However, I love all things Cajun and Creole almost as much as I love jazz and Harry Connick, Jr.

Last year around Mardi Gras, I had the hankering for some beignets.  Not exactly something you can run to the bakery and buy (at least in Georgetown).  Now, I will say that if you live or work near downtown Lexington, Doodle's is your beignet fix!

The official mix from Cafe du Monde

What to do to satisfy this craving?  I know some markets actually carry the official Cafe du Monde beignet mix.  Again, I'm in Georgetown...so, to my fav cooking site Allrecipes.com!  (Have I mentioned how much I love this site?)   I found a pretty simple (if a beignet recipe can be simple), straightforward entry with a slew of great reviews.  Another thing I love about Allrecipes.com is that other folks try out the recipes listed and give feedback kind of like Amazon.com.  (I'm one of those nerds who loves to read reviews and ratings.)

The ingredients were simple enough.  The directions not too complicated.  I realized, though, that having a Fry Daddy would have been handy!  The result...not too bad!  Light, cripsy and sweet...and perfect with a hot cup of cafe au lait!


BEIGNETS
(from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F /45 degrees C) 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs

1 cup evaporated milk 7 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup shortening 1 quart vegetable oil for frying 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
2.	Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares. Fry in 360 degree F (180 degrees C) hot oil. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Drain onto paper towels.
3.	Shake confectioners' sugar on hot beignets. Serve warm.

Starbucks Via Infused Minis

Starbucks Via Infused Cupcakes

Ever have one of those days when the only remedy is the drive thru at Starbucks?  Or maybe the venti latte (double shot) and some dark chocolate?  Yes, my coworkers and I have those days often.  In fact, we love our coffee so much, we decided to be part time baristas last Halloween!  (We were pretty cute I'll admit.)

What could be more natural than combining both of these life changing antidotes into a cupcake?  To celebrate the birthday of one of my coworkers, I decided to liven up a normal chocolate cupcake by adding a pack (or three) of Starbucks Via.   The cake itself was the old standby Duncan Hines Devil's Food (already had in the pantry).  Literally, the only change was adding the Via to the batter while mixing.

To top it off, some homemade dark chocolate buttercream.  I used the time tested Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting....the same recipe my mom has used for years.  Yes, it's the one on the Hershey's Cocoa box!  Careful with this frosting, though...it's persnickety!  I add the vanilla last and keep the milk handy as it will have almost a cement consistency rather than a nice, fluffy frosting.  I add more milk by the teaspoon until it looks nice and spreadable.  Most important - always use real butter!  Margarine's fine for toast, but it has to be real butter for frosting!  (Yes, I've learned the hard way!)

I found baking these in mini form was most effective as there was a lot of punch...rich, dark caffeinated chocolatey goodness!

From the back of the Hershey's Cocoa box:
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 3 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Bonjour, Petit Gateaux!

This is a bit of a back posting, but perhaps worth sharing....especially since I wasn't blogging in December!


My daughter's 9th birthday had a French twist!  After falling in love with the book Tales of Desperaux, she'd decided long before December that she wanted a French theme for her party.  Ok....how to do that?  We combined the ideas of the season, her favorite sport (ice skating) and this location to come up with "Winter in Paris".  Decorations - easy...winter stuff!  Thanks to my crafty niece, Daphne, for whipping up some cute Parisian touches.  (Check out her Etsy shop!)

Every kid's party seems to require an activity, craft, or some crazy arcade venture.  Our activity?  The kids became painters in their own French gallery.  A make-it, take-it project!   Viola...instant party favors - a finished painted 8 x 10 canvas!  Actually, supplies for this activity were cheaper than stuff I might have bought for a favor bag!  Thanks to a handy Granny, each young painter also received a pretty nifty beret!

Bon appetit!

But wait...there's more.  As part of the make-it, eat-it activity (after all...it is France), we opted for a create-your-own crepe bar!  The kids were able to make their own choices as to crepe toppings or fillings - fruit, chocolate chips, Nutella (of course), whipped cream.

For snacks, semi-traditional birthday fare.  The French twist here was adding labels with the French translation for the snack.  After all, wouldn't you rather have a petit gateaux than a cupcake?  Speaking of sweets, the cupcakes were lemon with buttercream frosting.  Also, I had made some pretty yummy strawberry cookies with cream cheese frosting...these were super easy and made from a cake mix!

All in all, a fun afternoon trip to the City of Lights.  A super fun way to celebrate a birthday and adding a little cultural flair at the same time!

Easy Strawberry Snowball Cookies

Strawberry Snowball Cookies
(adapted from an Allrecipes.com post)

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 package strawberry cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Mix together cake batter ingredients in large bowl or KitchenAid
2. Roll into 1" balls and set on ungreased or parchment covered cookie sheet
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 (Watch carefully during this stage.  I always wait for a crinkly-looking crust to appear.)
4.  Frost with homemade or store bought cream cheese icing.  Decorate as desired.

Marshmallow Fondant

Duff from Food Network's Ace of Cakes

We love cakes shows in our house.  I like the quirkiness of Duff's crew at Charm City Cakes on Ace of Cakes (think I could be friends with those guys).  My daughter's a Buddy fan and has Carlo's Bakery on her list of places to visit.  And who doesn't love a good Food Network Challenge where cakes are involved?   So, what is it that all of these have in common besides cake, crazy designs, arguments, and bizarre characters....did you say fondant?

I suppose my first real baking misadventure was making fondant.  Yep, not buying it (you can do that...fyi).  I did my research and found what seemed to be a too simple recipe on my favorite go-to cooking website allrecipes.com.  If you have never visited this site, I highly recommend it!   There I found something called Marshmallow Fondant.  There were several recipes for this.  I went with the one with the most positive reviews and the one that seemed to be less daunting for me...a novice!

Finished product!

We did cheat a bit and find some premade fondant that was made specifically for the smaller decorator pieces.  We also got some small cookie cutters (apparently they also make these - called fondant cutters) so we could trick out cake.  Michaels has quite the cake decorating section...in fact, it's become quite the craft lately.  Like scrapbooking, only tastier.

The cake itself was a VERY simple store bought chocolate cake with chocolate icing.  I iced between layers and then did a crumb coat over the entire cake.  Now, for the nice "taller" cakes I would have needed 4 layers.  Did I mention this was my first baking misadventure?  Live and learn.

Hollywood theme bridal shower cake.

I did learn that you really have to work the fondant like dough.  Adding water a little bit at a time was key to softening it.  Crisco was also my friend and made it more pliable.  I learned by doing this project all of tools I didn't have (like a REAL rolling pin) that would have made it much easier.  The end result was very gratifying, though!  The plus side of using fondant is that it hides a multitude of cake sins and offers a very clean look (providing the fondant doesn't crack or split).

After this attempt, I ventured out a bit and got a little fancier with my batter and filling.  A friend's bridal shower was coming up, so I decided to make her cake.  It was no award winner, but I felt like I'd accomplished something!  Yep, that marshmallow fondant is really idiot proof!

MARSHMALLOW FONDANT
(from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter 1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

4 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Directions:

1.	Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
2.	Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.
3.	Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
4.	Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Cookie Love

Super sassy spring cookie!
(Photo by M. Wyler)

I've found my favorite new source for cookies in Georgetown...my friend Melissa!  She is quite an artist I tell you.  And the best part is that it's an art she's taught herself - for fun and sharing!  So, what about the cookies?  Not only are they beautiful, but I can testify that they are also delicious.  The cookie I had was Valentine's Day themed and simply gorgeous.  It tasted like a buttery shortbread with just the right amount of sweet icing.

UK Cookie Bouquet
(Photo by M. Wyler)

We've bought our share of the glossy decorated cookies at the Barnes & Noble Cafe only to find them crumbly and flavorless.  Melissa's hit the mark with her new hobby!










A Basic Shortbread Cookie Recipe
(from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flour and mix well.
3. Put through cookie press and form cookies onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Royal Icing Recipe

(from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 egg whites, beaten

Directions

1. In a bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. Using electric mixer, beat in 2 beaten egg whites for about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape.

My favorite of all!  The ghosts are tulips turned
upside down with eyes added.  How clever is that?
(Photo by M. Wyler)

Conversation Heart Cupcakes

This was my first time out of the gate trying one of the creations from What's New, Cupcake by Tack & Richardson. Remember how that book psyched me out? Anyhow, I went for it. Thankfully, I found some great tips by researching a few (very few) blurbs from others who'd tried this particular creation. My result? Not quite ready for Cupcake Wars, but quite a hit with the elementary crowd!

Sweet Talk Cupcakes
Inspired by What's New, Cupcake
18 vanilla cupcakes baked in white liners (I used different colors)
3 frozen pound cakes (10.75 oz), thawed (fyi....try to use a coupon!)
3 cans vanilla frosting (store bought is best for this!)
Red, pink, purple, green, yellow food coloring (I used gel coloring...a little goes a long way!)
3" heart shaped cookie cutter
Freezer weight Ziploc bag, quart size (for piping later)

1. Cut the pound cakes in half horizontally and lay the halves flat. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 3 hearts from each half.

2. Spread the top of the cupcakes with some vanilla frosting. Place a pound cake heart on top of each cupcake, pressing down to secure. Place the cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes or until slightly frozen.

3. Tint 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting red with food coloring. Spoon the red frosting into a ziploc bag or piping bag. Divide the remaining frosting among five small microwaveable bowls. Tint each bowl a different pastel color of pink, green, yellow, orange, and purple. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

4. Working with one color of frosting at a time, microwave the frosting, stopping to stir frequently, until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream (about 20 seconds for my microwave). Remove 1 cupcake at a time from the freezer. Holding the cupcake by its paper bottom, dip it into the frosting just to cover the pound cake heart. Allow the excess frosting to drip off back into the bowl. Turn right side up and let stand. Repeat with each color and the remaining cupcakes. If the frosting becomes too thick, reheat for several seconds, stirring well.

5. Snip a very small (1/16-inch) corner from the bag with the red frosting. Pipe sayings on the top of the hearts.

Alyssa's Notes:
- Some folks had warned that the hearts would fall off following ONLY the above method, so I used a generous amount of frosting to anchor the heart onto the cupcake (I mean generous). Make the dipping frosting as thin as possible in the microwave (I found 18 seconds a good length, but it will depend on your microwave).

- I also didn't try to coat the entire heart with frosting. It's about the overall effect. It's ok if it drips a bit down the side....adds to that homemade, yummy effect I think instead of the factory conformity. But maybe that's just me. :)