Flashback to New Years 2011!

It's Flashback Monday?!

 

This is a once in awhile segment, usually on a Friday, that I created to show you some of my past adventures before I began blogging! Friday is already the day before New Year's Eve and I wanted to give you plenty of time to gather ingredients if you decide to make one of these!

Where oh where did 2011 go?

On New Year's Eve guests enjoyed Martini Cupcakes!

These cupcakes were inspired by the folks from "Hello, Cupcake!" and they were a total hit!

To make these:

I used plastic Martini cups from my local party store. I rubbed the rims of the cups with corn syrup and then dipped in colored sparkling sugar to match the color of the cupcake I intended to put in side. Next, I put colored Jelly Belly's in the stem of the cup. Then, I melted and colored some canned icing and swirled around the top of the cup, being careful not to let it drip into the stem. It only takes about 10 seconds in the microwave to melt the frosting up, so be careful! By the time I got the last cup swirled with icing, the first was about dry and I placed an unwrapped cupcake inside and poured additional melting icing over the top, garnishing with Jelly Belly's, gummy fruit wedges, and umbrellas! These were a little time consuming and a pair of extra hands is very helpful.  In the end when your guest arrive to see these, you will know that they are totally worth it!

With the extra cupcakes that I didn't use in making the Martini Cupcakes, I swirled with buttercream, black and gold sprinkles and topped with some plastic confetti from the party store! I didn't have a problem with people eating the plastic either, just like a cupcake pick, people know to remove it! These cupcakes were a great option, since the buttercream was a little less sweet than the canned icing.

This was my first New Year's Eve making cupcakes!

 

New Year's Eve doesn't last forever and soon comes New Years Day!

Welcome to 2011! This was my first attempt ever at royal icing. I had all of the snowflakes piped, waiting a day and they started to break when I removed them from the waxed paper, so I piped over them again and made the snowflakes very thick! At the time I totally loved these cupcakes! I look back at these now and wonder what was I thinking?

Anyway, that was what I made to welcome in 2011!

I can't wait to Welcome in 2012!

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I link up at these fun parties!

 

Featured at: Mom On Timeout

Flashback to Thanksgiving 2010!

It's Flashback Friday!

This is a once in awhile segment that I created to show you some of my past adventures before I began blogging!

I can't believe November is already here! To kick of the month, I am sharing the desserts I made last November!

These cupcakes were created with just a box of Spice Cake Mix and a can of Pumpkin. The frosting is canned cream cheese frosting. The leaves my daughter created with homemade fondant!

I believe this was our very first time using any type of fondant. Here is a close up to show the marbled effect!

This is just a regular pumpkin pie from a store bought crust and following the directions on the can of pumpkin. I wanted to decorate it up a bit, so I used the 2nd crust to cut out leaf shapes. I then dipped the shapes into sugar and applies the outside ring of leaves before baking. I applied a few additional leaves in the last few minutes of baking.

 Even a simple pie can taste better when it is a little more decorative! Even though I had a long dry spell without baking cakes or cupcakes. I did make Pumpkin Pies on occasion during that time and had a few disasters with that too. However, everyone was delighted to see the Pumpkin Pie decorated like this!

Quite a few sweets served at Thanksgiving Dinner last year!

The small plate of leaf shaped cookies to the left are Gingerbread Cookies.

These were the presliced cookies that are in the refrigerator sections at the grocery store. I sandwiched 2 together with chocolate frosting on the inside and rolled in chocolate jimmies.

These Cupcakes I made from the "Hello, Cupcake!" Book. Again using a Spice cake with a can of Pumpkin, needless to say that combo with chocolate wasn't my favorite.

Here's a close up of my Turkey Cupcakes!

This had to have been my favorite dessert from last Thanksgiving.

I saw this made on the Rachel Ray Show, it is called Anne Thorton's Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie. The crust is made with crushed gingersnaps.

I served each slice topped with a Gingerbread Man cookie!

These next 2 were made after Thanksgiving, but fit here as well.

These are Pumpkin Pies Bites inspired by Bakerella. They were made in mini cupcake pan. I used homemade pie crust dough cut with a Pumpkin Shaped Cookie Cutter. I was having the hardest time getting the homemade crust into the mini cupcake pans. That is when my teenage daughter came to the rescue and did the job for me. The pan we had only holds 12, so we used the rest to make the dessert below.

This was basically just a square pumpkin pie with only crust on the bottom, equalling less calories and a lot less work than the Pumpkin Pie Bites!

Those are a few ideas for the upcoming month! The Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie is the best, definitely worth trying, the recipe is linked above.  

As for this year, I have no clue what I am going to bake up for Thanksgiving! Stay tuned to find out!



Miss Pink People Eater Cupcakes

Does our drool turn you on?

 

Karen Tack and Allan Richardson from "Hello, Cupcake!" have done it again! Okay, this was from last year, but super CUTE! You can view an easy Video Tutorial at Taste of Home to learn to make the Purple People Eaters!

Liz from Hoosier Homemade has just made Purple and Green People Eaters this week and she shows how to make these with a fabulous Picture Tutorial at Hoosier Homemade!

With 2 wonderful tutorials already available, I was able to put down the camera and just have a lot of fun making the People Eaters and I am sharing the finished product!

My little twist to these guys gals, is I made mine into girls!

  

This is what you need for Miss Pink People Eater:

Cupcakes (I even colored the batter Pink!)

Canned Frosting (colored Pink!)

Large Marshmallows (for eyes)

Mini M&M's (for pupils)

Mini Marshmallows (for teeth)

Laffy Taffy (tongue)

Pretzel Sticks

Tube of Black Icing (for the eye lashes)

 

Aren't we ADORABLE?!

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These Monsters are Making People Laugh at:

Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday

Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday

Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration

Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday

A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday

These Monsters were Featured at:

Happy Hour Projects: Halloween Features

Hauntings of Halloweens Past

It's Flashback Friday!

This is a "now just occasional" segment to share with you some of my past adventures...

With just a month until Halloween, join me won't you, as I travel back in time to show you my adventures of Halloween's past...

2010 was the first full year after I started making cupcakes and I made quite a few different Halloween Cupcakes that year!

Halloween 2010

I waited all year long to finally be able to make "The House That Boo Built" from the "What's New Cupcake?" book by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. I made this for Halloween 2010. There were 3 different sized cupcakes used in this cupcake haunted house, along with dark chocolate trees, crushed Oreo Cookie dirt, candy corn pumpkins, and candy bats just to name a few ingredients in this Cupcake Haunted House! 

With so many left over cupcakes of different sizes and leftover supplies, I handed them over to the kids to decorate however they wanted!

Leftover supplies from "The House That Boo Built"

Before Halloween, we took a trip to Disney World and found this yummy cupcake in the first bakery on Main Street! 

Halloween Cupcake from the Magic Kingdom at Disney World

 Of course, that inspired me to make my own when we got home. I couldn't get the frosting piped as nice as what they made at Disney World, but we have ghosts!

My Disney inspired Ghost Cupcake- 2010

Cupcakes with Sugar Candies-  2010

 

Funfetti Frosted Halloween Cookies- 2010

Cupcakes with Wilton Decorations- 2010

These were Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes made with a box of Spice Cake Mix mixed with 1 can of Pumpkin and topped with cream cheese icing. The sugar cookies on top were coated in candy melts.

Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes- 2010

These were super fast and easy to make, less than 45 minutes from batter to fully decorated. These were made with the Pillsbury Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix with the Pillsbury Easy Frost icing that you spray out of a can liked whipped cream! 

Funfetti Cupcake with Easy Frost Icing in a spray can- 2010

My daughter has always had a Halloween birthday party and every since a cake disaster in 1996, I had always ordered ALL birthday cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. When I found these Halloween Cupcake Trio Cupcakes from Pillsbury, I knew they would be perfect for my daughters party, but could I do it? Yes! My first baking success ever! I made 24 yellow and 24 devil's food cupcakes and decorated them all, this took what I thought then to be a long time. Everyone loved them and I was extremely proud that I didn't mess them up! So these are the cupcakes that started my obsession with cupcakes!

The Cupcakes that started it all - 2009

Here is a close up of the 3 designs! This was also my first time using Wilton food colors, I was amazed how brilliant the color was compared to those tiny little bottles that you use for Easter Eggs!

Halloween/Birthday Cupcakes 2009

  

But...those were not the first cupcakes that were made at home...

   

In 2007, my oldest daughter had her birthday party the week after Halloween, which I ordered a cake for, but she still wanted Halloween Birthday Cupcakes on her actual birthday. She was just 10 years old at the time she made these, but she had some experience in baking making Christmas Cookies with her dad every year. She knew that if she wanted homemade cupcakes, she would have to make them herself. She made the Pillsbury Funfetti batter, filled the liners, baked, frosted, and decorated these cupcakes all by herself! She has always been a pretty amazing girl! If it wasn't for her, I probably still wouldn't be baking.

Halloween/Birthday Cupcakes 2007

Now this year, for her Halloween Birthday, my oldest daughter wants a very amazing cake, it is going to be a HUGE challenge ADVENTURE! Of course, before that, I am sure that I will be making a few different Halloween Cupcakes this year too, as Halloween is one of my favorite times of year!

 

Happy Halloween!

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I shared this Flashback with:

Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It

Banana Ghost Cupcakes

There are ghost popping up on websites and blogs everywhere right now, reminding me of a particular ghost cupcake that I had wanted to make. Scouring through my cupcake books, I just cannot find that ghost anywhere! I am hoping to replicate the cute little ghost as best as I can from memory (the one in the above picture in the center top came the closest). Where is Scooby-Doo when you need him? (To help me find the ghost!)

 For the cupcake, I used a Banana Cupcake recipe adapted from the Pink Princess Cupcakes Book that was suggested to use for the Teacup Treats, Pixie Princess, and Sunshine Princess designs. However, I didn't use it for any of those cupcakes and decided to use in on a non-princess cupcake!

 

 Banana Cupcakes

(Adapted from Pink Princess Cupcakes by Barbara Beery)

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs (room temperature)

3/4 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium sized bananas)

1 cup self rising flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

 

In mixer, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs in one at a time mixing well after each. Add in vanilla extract and bananas. Add in flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg just until mixed. Fill 12 liners 2/3 full of cupcake batter. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.

The cupcakes have a light flavor. I do appreciate a lighter, less sweet cupcake from time to time. These are another cupcake that would be perfect for after dinner, just the right amount of flavor. I could eat one of these right after the other!
They are topped with Cool-Whip that I squeezed through a piping bag and the eyes are Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch.

These are close to the ghost I remember, but something is different. I will probably find the recipe after Halloween! Maybe it wasn't a cupcake at all? A brownie maybe? Whenever I do find it, if it is on the internet, I will be sure to pin it to my Halloween & Fall Board on Pinterest! On my ghost hunt, I did find another fun...very fun cupcake to make soon!

Happy Haunting!

*Update 9/30/2011: Thanks to Liz at Hoosier Homemade, I have found my ghosts! They are in the "What's New Cupcake?" book. The ghost in the top picture on this post in the center does look like the ones in the book. The difference is in the book the ghost sits on top of Oreo dirt! Mystery Solved!

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 These Cupcakes are Haunting People at:

Chef In Training: Tuesday Talent Show

Rook No 17: A Little Birdie Told Me
The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials
Celebrating Family: Family Time Tuesday
Crazy for Crust: Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday
Lady Behind the Curtain: Cast Party Wednesday
This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked
A Place Called Home: Creative Halloween Ideas
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style

These Cupcakes are Featured at:
Family Fun Crafts

Green, Pink, & Purple Googly-Eyed Monster Cupcakes

I spent the day with monsters!

It is no secret I am a huge fan of the "Hello, Cupcake!" and "What's New, Cupcake?" people! So I was was super excited to find more of there designs at Taste of Home that are from 2010. It was just in the past month that  I first found Taste of Home, maybe I live under a rock or something! Of course I immediately pinned them!
 

  So how do you make these cute little Googly-Eyed Monsters? Well, no point in me telling you. Karen Tack and Alan Richardson have made a video tutorial (that's the "Hello, Cupcake!" people, just in case you too live under a rock or maybe you are just new to the Cupcake World!) Should the video below not play you can view it here:

How to Make the Green-Eyed Monster Cupcake

 

 
Instead of using a plastic zipper bag, I used my reusable piping bags with a size 12 tip. I made the Neon Green and Pink Googly-Eyed Monsters using homemade buttercream icing.  Do you notice the Purple Monster looks a little different? I ran out of icing and didn't want to make more, so the Purple Monsters are made using Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy White Frosting. Same method, same size 12 tip, different look!

 
 These cupcakes ARE EASY! Probably the easiest cupcakes that I have made from the "Hello, Cupcake!" People.

 The original design doesn't have arms and my son thought they needed arms. After he said that, I began to think they needed arms too! Armed with a little chocolate and my piping bag with a size 3 tip, I freehandedly piped the arms and stuck them on. Now these Googly-Eyed Monsters can say "Boo!" or at least appear that they did! Once these little monsters had arms the green one reminded me of Mike from Monsters Inc!

 Oh and before these monsters say good-bye, there is one question that must be answered...
Do these Googly-Eyed Monsters have hearts?
No.....

They have Ooey-Gooey Centers!
Nothing is more fun than a monster cupcake, except a monster cupcake made with my new favorite box mix: Betty Crocker: Fun-da-Middles!
  
Also, I am very excited that Karen Tack and Alan Richardson have a new book coming out January 31, 2012 called:
"Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh My!"
You really don't know how excited I am about this! I just want to scream it to the world!
  
Check out all of the designs that I have made from these 2 amazing people:
Mrs. Fox's Sweets "Hello, Cupcake!" and "What's New, Cupcake?" Cupcakes

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These Monsters are Shared at:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday
Talking Dollars and Cents: Sweet Temptations
Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday
Bizzy Bakes: Bake with Bizzy
Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday

The Artsy Girl: Fall Crawl

Celebrating Family: Family Time Tuesday

Alli-N-Son: Sweet Tooth Friday

Mangoes and Chutney: Fat Camp Friday

Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style

RoCa and Company: You Rock

Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin It

Sweet As Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday

Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap Up Party
A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration

Itsy Bitsy Paper: Wickedly Creative Halloween Ideas
Rook No 17: A Little Birdie Told Me
Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday
A Place Called Home: Creative Halloween Ideas

Bacon Time: Halloween & Fall Recipes & Crafts Linky

 
These Monsters are Featured at:
Bacon Time: Fantastic Features
Cupcakes Take the Cake

Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me

Easy Delicious Recipes.com

Bean Bug Crafts

"An Apple a Day" Cupcakes

An Apple for the Teacher,

You are the Apple of My Eye,

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away,

How you Like Them Apples?,

Snow White ate a poison apple,

and then there was

The famous Twilight Apple from the Twilight Book

Apples, Apples Everywhere!

These Apples, however, are for Back to School!

 

 The design is from the "What's New, Cupcake?" book.

 But, before the design is created we must start with a cupcake! Liz from Hoosier Homemade made her back to school cupcakes this year from a recipe in the Martha Stewart Cupcakes Book. I thought that was an awesome idea! That is one of my personal favorite cupcake books, so I decided to do same. I just wanted to make enough cupcakes for the design, so I cut the recipe in half. Below you will find the recipe...halved.

Ingredients for 10 Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/8 tsp salt (or 1/4 + 1/8 tsp...since I don't have a 3/8 spoon!)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/16 tsp cloves (just eyeballed it using the 1/8 spoon!)

1/4 cup butter (I used 1/4 cup margarine)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs- room temperature

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional- I skipped them)

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first 6 ingredients (Flour, baking soda, salt and spices) in medium bowl and set aside. Cream together in mixing bowl, both regular sugar and brown sugar with margarine. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each. Add in applesauce. Add in flour mixture just until mixed. Stir in nuts, if desired. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out with very little crumb. 

Let cool.

   

 Supplies for Cupcake Decoration

canned vanilla frosting (I used Pillsbury Vanilla)

red food gel (I used Wilton)

mini doughnuts (I used Little Debbie)

tootsie rolls

mint leaves (or green pliable candy, fondant or green icing)

1 container of red sugar (I used Wilton 3.25 ounce)

black candy coated sunflower seeds (I used purple!)

  

While cupcakes are cooling, reserve 1 teaspoon of vanilla icing for the bite in the apple and begin coloring your canned vanilla frosting red with gel paste. It doesn't have to be red red, the sugar covers up most of it.

Frost the cupcake and then top with a doughnut. I used the entire doughnut just scrapping the chocolate off the bottom to make sure in adhered. Depending on the size of mini doughnut you use you may have to cut a little more off. Once your cupcakes are frosted with a doughnut on top, put them in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Put the container of red sugar in a bowl, I found a salsa type bowl worked perfect.

Working with one cupcake out of the freezer at a time, frost the doughnut topped cupcake filling in any spaces. Roll in red sugar. You will find after the cupcake is rolled in sugar, you can shape it a little better and then re-roll to cover any spots that frosting may be showing through. Top with a Tootsie Roll cut in half lengthwise and shape into stem. One Tootsie Roll makes 2 stems. Add fresh mint leaves by the stem, I pushed the in slightly with a toothpick. You could use green pliable candy, rolled gum drops, or fondant cut into a leaf shape, or pip on a leaf with green icing.

They remind me of a Snow White or Twilight Apple.

For the mouth bite, I used a small paring knife and cut out a circle shape and then filled the hole with the reserved white frosting. I dipped my finger in cornstarch to help push the icing into place. I just happened to find candy coated colored sunflower seed at the Dollar Tree store. They were only in rainbow colors. I tried to color one black with Wilton Food Writers, but that didn't work, so my apples have purple seeds! I just made one apple with the bite, if you would like to make more like this you will need to reserve about a tablespoon of white frosting.

I did save a cupcake for sampling without all the goodies on top. It is a little sticky (may be from something I did), but taste great even without frosting! This Applesauce-Spice Cupcake makes a great anytime cupcake. Once the cupcake is all decorated...it is quite messy, but super cute!

So that's it, the cupcakes that I made for back to school this year! It is also the beginning of the end, it is my son's senior year of highschool. It feels like I was just crying while dropping him off at preschool and here we are in his senior year, soon I will be crying again! That also means, another excuse to bake! I can't wait to start making graduation designed sweets this school year! I already have lots pinned on Pinterest!

  

Happy Back to School Everyone!

 

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These Cupcakes are shared at:

Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday

Rook No.17: A Little Birdie Told Me

The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials
Crazy for Crust: Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Chef in Training: Tuesday Talent Show
Lady Behind the Curtain: Cast Party Wednesday
This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked
Daily Organized Chaos: Foodie Wednesday
Pinch of This, That, and the Other: Whisking Wednesdays

All Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday
Dollars and Cents: Sweet Temptations
Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Coupon Cookin': Tasty Traditions
Bizzy Bakes: Bake with Bizzy
Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It
Mangoes and Chutney: Fat Camp Friday
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday
Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration
A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Everyday Sisters: Sharing Sundays (Apple Recipes)
One Artsy Mama: Falling for Crafts Challenge #2
Moms Crazy Cooking: This Weeks Cravings (Apples)
It's a Blog Party: Fall Fest 2011- Week 3 Apples
 
These Cupcakes were featured at:
The Kurtz Corner
Rook No. 17
Bacon Time



My New High Heels!

Whether it be for Mother's Day, a girlie girl party, princess party, or just for fun, these High Heeled Cupcakes are sure to be the talk of the party!


This is my shoe collection!



I first saw this idea presented by Karen Tack from the "Hello, Cupcake" and "What's New, Cupcake?" books on the Today's Show back last summer. You can watch the video from the Today's Show featuring these High Heeled Cupcakes and other cute cupcakes on the Hello, Cupcake! Book website.

 More recently, this idea was featured as a "Mother's Day Cupcake" idea on one of my favorite blogs Hoosier Homemade and in the Hoosier Homemade Cupcake Chronicles Email Newsletter (you seriously need to subscribe...it's a little goody in your email box!)

Now...it's my turn to try out these High Heels!

I wanted to make this High Heeled Cupcakes with Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix. I prepared the box mix as directed, except with applesauce instead of oil and baked at 325 for 28 minutes. One box makes 12 brownie cupcakes. The picture I took of the naked cupcakes didn't turn out or I would show you that.

While the cupcakes were cooling, I used a small knife to slowly cut the graham crackers into a wedge shape. I cut extras in case some ended up breaking later. I did break a few during the cutting process and ended up with lots of scraps, so I will just save these in a sealed container for graham cracker crusted cupcakes like the Coconut Cupcakes that I made for Easter.

I used my Wilton Chocolate Pro to melt the Wilton Dark Cocoa Candy Melts and added a little shortening to thin it. When that was melted, I spooned the chocolate over one side of the graham cracker and refrigerated until hardened, about 5 minutes. As soon as the chocolate had hardened, I repeated on the other side. (Oops! I forgot to take a picture of this part!) I didn't get the chocolate applied as smoothly as I would have liked either. This was the most time consuming part. I felt like one of the Keebler Elves!

I then took the chocolate graham cracker wedges and painted a stripe up the side with corn syrup and dipped in colored sanding sugar.  Then, I frosted the cupcake and dipped in colored sanding sugar and topped with a plastic ring.

I cut the Pirouline sticks with a knife right on the line, worked perfect! I dipped the flat end into the chocolate and let that dry a couple minutes (to look like those little rubber tips on the bottom of a real high heel). I followed that step by dipping the slanted end and propping it up under the chocolate coated graham cracker wedge and letting it dry like that, propping them up with a sprinkles bottle where needed, but most didn't need any extra support.

They were really easy to move, just holding the graham and the cupcake, the heels all stayed attached fine.

Lovely in Lilac

Pretty in Pink

These cupcakes were a lot of fun to make and easy too!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!