Domestic Sugar

Thomas the Tank Engine Cake

2012-04-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

So, Thomas the Tank Engine is one of those characters that most kids would have grown up with. If not liking Thomas, most children are at least exposed to him and his friends through one method or the other. Personally, I know one very cute little boy who absolutely loves everything in Thomas's world. So, when I was asked to make a small cake that would feature Thomas, I was delighted.

If you look at this cake, you are probably thinking, THIS MAKES NO SENSE. And you're right, I kinda pulled Gordian Knot effect by putting a tunnel exit where there is no train, but in truth, I was hoping that Thomas was going to look like he was coming out of a cake, not a tunnel.

I like the overall esthetics. While the colors are muted, this cake is for a small boy who is too young to know esthetics of bold colors. So I'm happy I was able to throw this all together. I especially like the fact that I used the round to create a background as well as a platform from the cake! I cut two cakes in half and stacked them, like a diorama!

Okay, not much to say, I'm off to help out with the High School play. Ciao!

Flower Bouquet Cake

2012-04-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

Hurray! SPRING!
I've been watching the weather change. WE OFFICIALLY HAVE GREEN BUDS ON OUR TREES! That is super exciting. Today I was even fantasizing about swimming in Rainy Lake. I remember last year in May taking a plunge in freezing water when there was still ice moving out. This year, the ice is long gone after that wonderful March weather, but it is still far too cold to go for a dip just yet. If you've seen my polar plunge photos, you know that the cold does not bother me. Luckily, the flowers are blooming again, so here's my latest cake creation:

A friend of mine celebrated her birthday in April, along with a bunch of her co-workers. She asked me if I would not mind doing a communal cake to celebrate the four birthdays they shared this month. Since I was only given short notice, I make something quick with buttercream. I've been dieing to try out the flower tip I have, and since most of my work is done in Fondant, this was a welcome change.

I particularly like the little flower centers. I used some non-perils I ordered from Bake it Pretty. Super sweet. I think they finish it all off.

This week the photos were taken by myself, and my friend Caren, who, along wither her super awesome camera, came to play with light and colour. We sat on the floor with our little lighting set-up and played with flowers, scarves, blankets and everything else we could for the setting. Honestly, I was in love with her camera. I guess after 5 years, it is time to get a new one... I love my little Fuji Finepix, but Caren's camera was soooo awesome ლ(இ益இლ

Baby Cookies for Baby Carson

2012-04-22T21:53:00.000-05:00

Babies! I've got none yet, but I am a very proud Aunt of three wonderful little ones. Little ones always make me smile especially when they laugh! Melts my heart.

I am happy to announce that one of my coworkers has recently given birth to a little one of their own. Carson was born last week to two very proud parents. Since I figured they had all the 'things' they could possibly need, I decided to do what I do best and bake!

These cute little cookies are inspired by some rather cliché designs, but none the less, are adorable! Looking through my files, I noticed that I've not done any (I think) baby-shower/baby-themed cookies. HOW! For three years now I have been blogging up a storm, and I have yet to do baby cookies!

Not that all my cookies have to be complex. I wanted to show a cute little tip for those of you who have less time but still want to bake cookies for little kiddies. These Button cookies are the perfect solution. (see them all around the decorated cookies?) They are simply my sugar cookie recipe(or any sugar cookie) dyed to the proper color.

Now, take a look at the loose buttons around. Those are a great cookie to make for those who are busy! Let's give you a little tutorial on those!

First Find three Round cutters. I used my piping tips, 1M ( large star tip), a smaller round large tip, and a regular 3 round tip. You could use any small round things to do these, and even make bigger buttons. Roll out your dough, and using the larger of the three circles, cut out a circle for the button.

Next, take the medium round circle and, very carefully, place it in the center of the large circle and apply slight pressure (don't go all the way through). This will be the little indent of the button.

Finally, using the smaller circle (my 3 round tip) punch holes all the way through for the button holes. AND Voilà! Bake as normal! (5 min @ 325 Degrees)

Now you know a small, simple way to make cute baby cookies. These ones will be packed off and sent to the proud parents. Hope they like them!

CASIO Calculator, because my Husband says it is the best

2012-04-19T21:24:00.000-05:00

My husband, the science teacher, is always telling his students that the only way to go in the Calculator department is with a Casio. I don't know why, but he espouses the virtues of the mighty Casio.
So, on a boring day, when him and his students were killing time, he showed them my blog. They browsed through the cakes, cookies and desserts here. I mostly use this blog as a reason to bake... somewhere to show my desserts so I remember them.
Funny how things go when I get a letter from the students, written formally in pink ink, asking for a cake in the shape of a Casio Calculator. How could I resist?
So, I decided, WHY NOT?! I don't usually do requests from students, only their parents, but these kids are good, and with my husband's blessings, I began to make them a delicious treat.

The cake itself is Chocolate Fudge with Mocha Buttercream, covered in Chocolate MMF and accented with a gumpaste Mr. Spooner (AKA Hubbie).

I had to look at Hubbie's calculator to get the writing just right, and hand painted each of the symbols on with wondrous Americolor gels (mixed with white to help them show up).

It was good fore planning on my part that I was able to do the cake. I knew I would not have a lot of time tonight to do it, so I did most of the work last night. Good thing too, my back went out. I am happy to report that I am feeling better after some rest, but I was worried this cake would not get its finishing accents. Luckily, they were small, and easy to do.

Now, I am looking forward to a simple and easy weekend with no obligations and a really good book!
Hope you all have a great Weekend!

Springtime Flowers with April Showers

2012-04-15T22:02:00.002-05:00

One of the things I still struggle with as a baker/blogger is photography. Photoshop is my friend. When my 5 year old camera takes bad photos, or when the light is off, or things look shady, I like to know that I can plug my pictures into Photoshop to make them just right!
Take the cookies I made this weekend:

With the rainy weather, and the ugly damp, I stayed in most of the week. With nothing better to do, I decided to make some cookies. You've maybe noticed that I've been in a cookie funk. I have been making many cakes, but the last time I made a decorated cookie was, Oh right, just before my anniversary, so mid February. That is a long time to have waited to make cookies. I decided to make up my own reality, whereby the rain from outside instantly cleared up and the flower started to bloom!

My reality also had random pigs. I don't know... I just wanted to use the cutter.

Back to my original comment about Photoshop. Take this photo for example:

The original photo was grainy, yellow, and off. While the final product is less than perfect, it is at least useable, especially considering some of the cookies have already been eaten by Hubbie.

I played with the contrast, sharpened, enhance, enhance, enhance, enhance, ZOOM, enhance, enhance, enhance, enhance, "Meet me at the club tonight, it all goes down, XOXO VB". Stupid reference, Okay, but Photoshop does help.

So, now I'm hoping that the rain will clear, we won't get the forecasted snow, and I will be able to continue to wish for summer and swimming. The only consolation in this is that I saw my first Dandelion this week... They are my absolute favorite flower. I love how happy they are!

Cupcake Course 2012

2012-04-05T11:35:00.001-05:00

Hurray for Cupcakes!

The first ever Fort Frances Cupcake Course ended on a high. Most likely a sugar high! Participants decorated, mixed, piped, modeled, and ate their way through the 190 cupcakes I baked the day before. It was a absolutely amazing experience. And I thank everyone who participated for your patience and encouragements.

Here are some highlights from the course:

A Happy participant holds their beautiful cupcake creation. What an amazing rose!

Above: A bunch of creative cupcakes piped and decorated. Great experimentation!

Above: One participant was a little hungry, but not for sweets.

Cuppy-bears take shape!

Busily working to make various cupcake creations during experimentation time.

Two participants show off their creations.

A Class Photo of cupcakes which represent the various members.

This summer the College is planning a youth camp, and a Cake course for the fall. I have been super lucky to have been a part of this, and thank all participants for their feedback. The next course is going to be even more crazy!

Hope to see you there!

Butterfly Flower Birthday Cake

2012-04-01T13:19:00.001-05:00

So, I had a request from a friend for another Flower Birthday Cake. The sad thing was that this request was made on a Wednesday, so I had to do a little creative changes to make the time work for me. Rather than an elaborate Flower-Box cake, I made a flower-garden cake. The cake design was simple, Strawberry cake with Strawberry Buttercream, topped with Sugar flowers and a Sugar Butterfly.

Since this is for a young girl's Flower Birthday, I wanted to make the flowers POP! The butterfly on top really accents the colors chosen (Purple and Pink). The only direction I got was that the little girl loved strawberries. Well, Sugar Strawberries make a cute accent. I love strawberries on cakes!

For the Flowers I used Cherry Blossoms, Anemones and a few 'accent' made-up flowers (Click for Tutorials). The colors do not lend themselves to 'reality' flowers, but the effect is just as cute!

Okay, First Blog post since the new upgrade to Blogger. I've got to say, I don't quite like it. The images are difficult to past, and I have to go into the HTML editor to delete useless code and get between the images. What a strange and sad change.I would love to complain, but who would listen. Any other bloggers feel the same? I hope so! Maybe I'm missing something......

Hope everyone has a great week. Easter is coming!

Book Cake: Dragon Slippers

2012-03-17T10:14:00.003-05:00

My Final Cake for the March Break!

I am super happy with this cake. The series which starts with the book "Dragon Slippers" by Jessica Day George is a favorite of my friend's daughter. The lovely Courtney is super into the books, and requested this cake for her birthday. Or rather, a cake with the idea of Dragon Slippers. With some painting, the cake was personalized.

I used edible food color on Marshmallow Fondant to paint the book's cover. I let layers dry as I painted in order to prevent bleed.

And, of course, the books would not be perfect unless there was a little accent on the book.

Now, if you looked very closely, you'll notice a wood grained board on the cake. That is my latest plaything. Using three colors of MMF (White, Tan and Brown) I marbled and rolled out a sheet big enough for the cake board.
Next, I cut lines in the MMF to look like planks.

Next, using a pointy tool, I cut small holes into the MMF, where the knots of the wood would be. Then, I used thye same tool to add lines for the wood grain.
Finally, using Edible Brown Food Gels (I Used Americolor), I added in detail where the knots were, and lightly brushed the rest of the 'wood' with lots of water. This added a sheen to he wood, making it look like a polished wooden plank. Great for this cake! I just stacked the books on as per normal.

So, March Break Madness is over. I'm sad. I love making cakes! I was super super happy with all of them! Now, I have to get ready to go back to work. BOO! I have two more days of glorious sunshine. I guess I will go and enjoy it.

Flowers are Blooming

2012-03-14T09:33:00.002-05:00

The wonderful weather continues! Actually, it rained a little here on Monday, but the sun came out and the rest of the week looks clear and warm! You can even see the buds on the trees starting to come out. We've had a very mild winter. Especially for Northern Canada!

This cake is my finest! I truly believe that this cake represents my best work. My friend's daughter was celebrating her 10th birthday, which was also her "Flower Birthday". How excited was I when I was asked to make the girl's cake.

Of course, this cake in my opinion in whimsical. The only request my friend had was "Lots of Colour," and beyond that, she said go to town. This design is a very classic design. It is known as a "Flower Box" Cake. It is a "Hat Box" cake with flowers spilling over the sides and the lid slightly a-kilter. I made sugar flowers for three days! Orchids, roses, hydrangeas, cherry blossoms, calla-lilies, and ivy leaves.

The sugar orchid below is my absolute favorite flower. I have never made a combined flower (that is flower petals wrapped together to make a flower). Most of my tries result in very broken flower pieces. This time, I was able to make two, one for each side, and they looked fabulous!

I think the best part was the party. I taught the kids how to decorate cupcakes. I used piping bags and we did Cuppy bears. I was super excited. They got creative and made Cuppy-Ducks and bunnies and kitties too! The kids did a fabulous job, and hopefully I'll get the pictures of the decorating fun from my friend. My course at the college, which runs April 4th, is full. I am so excited! This was a great run-through!

Well, I have one last cake for this March Break. I have yet to make it.... So many birthday parties, so many cakes! I am having a super fantastic March Break. I hope you are too!

MARCH BREAK MADNESS!

2012-03-11T17:57:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather. It is gorgeous outside, and hard to believe that we are only in March. This break, I have big plans.. here's a clue as to what it is:

Can you guess?

If you said lounge on the beach, you are wrong. Although I wish I could. No. This Break, instead of going somewhere warm, or visiting family in the city, I am staying at home to make cakes!
It is as though all my friends had their kids at the same time... and so, in 5 days I've made two cakes. The one above is my first. Luckily it was a simple design. BEACH BREAK!

As I made the little girl figurine I couldn't help but wish I had a sunny location to go. The recent lovely weather has made for warm conditions, but having wet feet from the melting snow is hardly the beach-like conditions I was hoping for.

The two figurines on the cake, my friend's kids, are not going somewhere sunny for their birthdays, but rather, a trip to the US for a water-park like hotel. I hope you all have great trips wherever you go.

As for my second cake, one I finished today, there's a little teaser on my facebook page. I will tell you this... that this new cake took a lot more time and care to make. AND IT IS GORGEOUS! Until then :)

Anniversary in more ways than one

2012-02-29T16:40:00.005-06:00

February 29th is a big day for me. Not only is this my 200th post YAY, but it is also my first, fourth anniversary. It was four years ago today, February 29th 2008 that I got married.
Now, I get to celebrate!

Hubbie and I met some 10 years ago this month (Feb). I saw him in my first year English class and thought he was super beautiful! Being too shy to say anything, I just kept my nose in my books and soldiered on. A cute guy like him needs someone equally as good looking.
Later on that day, I walked into the social area of the university, the Agora, and saw some people playing a game. I walked up and said: OH WOW... MAGIC CARDS (nerdy game)... only to notice that the one playing the game was ... my future hubbie.

I was super embarrassed! But he was nice. We talked, played a few games of Magic, and then he asked me out to a movie. Our first 'date' was watching a movie about cannibalism (a movie called Ravenous).
One thing led to another, and we started to go steady. Six years later...
Hubbie hands me a box... my birthday present he says. I open it up, only to find a lovely kitten he had rescued from the humane society. As I lift the kitten and begin to freak out, he tells me to look at the bottom of the box. There was no ring, just two simple words... ENGAGEMENT KITTEN. I said yes of course. To this day, I still only have my wedding ring... one which matches his.

We were married in 2008. I was completing a Masters degree in English, and he was in Fort teaching... we decided to go ahead with our planned wedding date, even though we would only get a weekend together. We had chosen the leap year. Much like our courtship and engagement, the day was unique and fun... a perfect day for a wedding.
With Hubbie-to-be driving in town late on a Friday Night (after the school across the street blew up ... no really... from a gas leak just as he was leaving), and with me getting the final touches in place... we wed on a cold, freshly snowy Saturday. Our small ceremony was perfect. And he was mine forever! The school was repaired 1 and 1/2 years later...

I think the world of him. Unfortunately, he is actually sick today, so no big celebrations for us. He was super sad that he was not well enough for our dinner reservations, but I would much rather go when he feels well. Instead, I get to nurse him to health... I love him a lot!

Of course, what anniversary would be complete without cake! I decided to finally try the "ROSE" cake that I am Baker Legend, Amanda designed some time ago. You may have seen other people's versions... not it's my turn.

It's pretty. Roses for an anniversary. Hubbie loved it!

And of course, I can continue on being the dorky house wife I've always wanted to be. I seriously dreamed of it when I was young, but not knowing how to cook put a real hamper on that. I had a lot of work to do, and I think I fixed the problems... Maybe . At least I don't burn water anymore.

So, now I'm off to 'cubble' my Hubbie. Later on, we eat cake. Maybe, just maybe he'll be better this week, and we can celebrate for realsies.

CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!
And HUGS!

Book of your Life Cake

2012-02-12T17:51:00.003-06:00

Hmm. What is this book? Why, it is about my life! It has my interests and dreams! IT'S A CAKE!

That is more or less how I viewed the giving of this latest cake. One of my coworkers recently celebrated her 60th birthday.

I love when I get asked to do an 'over-the-hill' cake. I mean, what do people normally ask for when they want to celebrate an 'older' birthday... tombstones, graves, hills with people passed out on them. I mean, what tells a person that you care about them than showing them they will soon be dead? Right?

Seriously, Google OVER THE HILL CAKES and you are going to get a bunch of winner ideas. Not that they cannot be well exectuted or quite beautiful; it's just the idea of reminding people of what is coming. That's why I decided on this Book of your Life theme. Take a look:

Barb's friends conspired to tell me the things that were important to her: her grand-kids, quilting, shopping, working with friends, gardening. These were the elements that I incorporated into the cake, trying to make it seem like a positive reflection on the years to come, rather than reminding her that death is waiting around the corner with a little scythe and black robe.

Anyway, over the next week you'll notice some changes here at the blog. I'm going to be revamping this year's design, and hopefully everything will run smoothly. If you find things hard to find for a bit, I apologize. This will be my third anniversary at Domestic Sugar, and so I decided for a change of scenery. My next post will actually be my 200th! YAY.

Cupcake Gallery - Sugar Flower Cupcakes

2012-02-08T19:09:00.003-06:00

My friend Wendy celebrated her birthday yesterday. To celebrate, I decorated cute cuppies for her. I decided that she is such a fun and sunny lady that fun flowers would be perfect! This post has no comments, just LOTS of photos.

Enjoy!

Tea Time!

2012-02-03T20:31:00.003-06:00

One of my coworkers is having her two granddaughters over for a tea party (HOW SWEET!) and asked me to make some tea-party themed cookies.

When I think of tea party, I think dainties, flowery teacups and the 1900s. Now.. those were the days (I should know, I was there)! Back in my day, people sipped their tea, not slurped, and had great gossipy stories.

Well, maybe I am a little less old than I am claiming, and maybe I've never liked tea.. ever! But I do have a fond memory of the ladies who used to live down from my parent's house. We called them the "Sweet Williams Ladies" because of the vast and beautiful garden which had Sweet Williams flowers (They were actually mother and daughter). I used to get invited to their house to dance and have tea. The eldest lady had a wonderful tea set, pink roses and polka-dots. She had MANY teacups. I think that's where I first fell in love with teacups! The set looked like:

Now, even though I was too young for tea, they used to put milk in a teacup for me. It was wonderful! We would sit at the table, this lady who was probably around 70 at the time, and myself, who was maybe 7? and sip our drinks, looking out onto the garden. After tea, the eldest would play her organ, and the youngest and I would dance.

Tea has special meaning to me, even though I still gag at the taste.

Wasn't that a great way to end that story?

Anyway, I thought I'd share that memory. These cookies will hopefully be enjoyed with the same sold of bliss that I experienced!

Now, just as a heads up to all the Fort Frances peoples. Confederation College in town has decided they want to have a cake decorating class, and have asked me to be the instructor! SQUEE! If you are interested, you can call the college at 807-274-5395 to put your name on the list. I will have more information once the course is ironed out.
This one looks like a creative cupcake class.

I'm super excited about it!

I love you a Latte

2012-01-29T18:37:00.004-06:00

While these cookies were originally for a sick friend (one whom enjoys going for lattes with me), I couldn't help put think the theme was a little reminiscent of Valentine's day, which is quickly approaching.

The title: "I love you a Latte" is another one of those dorky things Hubbie and I say to one another. The response to the comment is always "I love you amore" which I guess drives home the fact that I am completely dorky in every aspect, and I am officially "ONE OF THOSE MARRIED PEOPLE." YUCK!

Anyway, the theme was of hope. Of course, beautiful monarchs and lattes seems a strange choice for hope, but friendships, like any type of love, are formed through a gathering. To be metaphorical, the Latte cookies symbolize a gathering, as coffee trips are wont to do, and the butterflies symbolize overcoming, rising above (in this case, sickess). Seeing as my friend is neither wanting or ready for metaphors, I figure posting here might explain my dorky choice.

Oh look... there's another ENGLISH MAJOR... with her useless degree flaunting bad spelling mistakes and internet journaling. Isn't she special. (-___-);

Back to cookies. This design is perfect in my opinion for Valentine's day as well. The Latte cup is not a cookie cutter I own, but a hybrid: CUPCAKE cutter with SQUARE cutter on the bottom = LATTE CUP cutter. HURRAY! I think finding new uses for old cutters makes my budget a little happier. Why not find another use?

And what about these butterflies? This is my absolute favorite 'pretty' cutter. Even the normal cutter looks nice. I got it online, and have used it many times. This time, I used it for the monarch butterfly: Outline the black and fill it in!

I actually think the colours of the Monarch are absolutely stunning! I also love the Monarch's story... how it flies to South America every winter, and only it's children will return. How does it know to do that?! What sort of amazing evolutionary mechanism tells it to do that... I still can't train my husband to make coffee. "THANK YOU!"

Mine is better anyway (╤ ◡ ╤)♥

So, here's to pretty cookies, friendship and love. Hopefully I will have some more classy analysis to blither about.
Until then!

General Grievous: The Cake

2012-01-22T20:28:00.003-06:00

This was quite an ambitious cake to make. I sat for a while with my friend Penny, trying to figure out a way to accommodate her son's party theme: Lego Star Wars. The big request came from her son's favorite Character: General Grievous...

Last year, I made a Pablo Backyardigans cake for her son, but this year, since he's growing up so fast, he wanted something a little more boyish and a little less childish. We settled on making something with General Grivous.... like this:

This was a cool cake to make, but had all sorts of little problems to overcome. Since they wanted Chocolate cake, I had to work through using chocolate cake and icing with WHITE MMF. That is no easy task! There was CHOCOLATE EVERYWHERE! I was battling to keep the fondant nice and pristine. Then there was the issue with the light sabres, and keeping them round. Oh boy, let me tell you: Think about the structure and have a strong idea. Even though I had doling in the swords, they still flopped a little, and the fondant did not keep its shape all that well. (╧__╧;)

The final product, while a little awkward in places, was actually okay to make. This is my first cake since my back injury, so I was pleased to make it. Sadly, my back began to act up, but luckily, I got everything done. The biggest challenge was making all the 'gears' and 'mechanisms' in his legs and arms. I knew that it would be difficult, and wanted to fit the most cake into this cake as possible, so I ended up with solid pieces with piped and fondant-covered details. Not bad.

I was planning a how-to, but when you get into the grove, you really move. It was mostly well-placed cake pieces and covered in chocolate buttercream and fondant. Ah well. It was a neat little project, which was well enjoyed!
Happy Birthday Zander!

BEST MUFFIN EVER: Snickerdoodle with Caramel-Apple filling

2012-01-17T19:06:00.002-06:00

Hey All.

This is my new favorite Muffin recipe of all time. It had been making its way around Pintrest, and I just had to give it a try. I did not regret my decision!

This muffin is called the Snickerdoodle, not to be confused with the cookie version of the same name. The absolute best part about this muffin is how moist it is. I have seen so many recipes where the muffins were like bricks, thick and chewy. This muffin is moist and spongy. PERFECT.

As it stands, the recipe is perfect, but can you imagine what would make cinnamon and sugar better... APPLES AND CARAMEL! No really, my Hubbie fell over backwards over these muffins. I had to give up a little on my not-so-resolute-resolution, but it was totally worth it.

♥ Snickerdoodle Muffins ♥
Adapted from eat me, delicious

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup sour cream

Topping:
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pan (cuppies) with wrappers if desired, or spray.

Mix Flour, Tartar, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg.

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients and sour cream until smooth (use spatula on the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure).

Mix 'topping' (cinnamon and sugar) in a small bowl.
Using an ice-cream scoop, and scoop an amount and place in the 'topping' bowl. Roll batter around to coat (or simply place cinnamon/sugar in the bottom of the cuppie tin and sprinkle liberally on top).

Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until light brown on sides/top). Cool.

Yield: 24 Muffins.

Want to step it up a notch? Keep reading!

At about the point that the muffins were cooking was when Hubbie suggested a dessert with apples and caramel. That got my brain in a tizzy. I thought... CINNAMON, SUGAR, APPLES AND CARAMEL... IT'S A PIE IN A MUFFIN'S FORM!

So, I began to make up the caramel. It's super simple!

Caramel/Apple filling

1/2 c BUTTER (Must be butter)
1c brown sugar
1 large apple ( granny smith (best) or Macintosh).
1 tsp vanilla

Cut apple into small cubes. Place butter and brown sugar, vanilla and apples in a thick-bottomed saucepan. On Low-Medium heat, melt butter and sugar until the sugar begins to boil lightly. Stir often! Continue to bubble on low for 5 minutes, or until much of the water from the apples has been cooked off and the mixture is smooth. Let cool (not completely) until warm.

Core the muffins (take the centers out with a knife... eat them! EAT THEM!) Pour apple/caramel mix into the centers of your muffins. If you wish, garnish with walnuts or Pecans for a nice contrast in texture/flavor.

EAT THEM! \(휴﹃휴) /

You will seriously not regret making these muffins. I have never seen a muffin so wonderful, so moist and so scrumptious. The apples and caramel are DIVINE! The thing I liked the most was the simplicity. As you can tell, things have been pretty busy, and I've not had a lot of time to bake. From start to finish, this recipe took one hour. That's all! When time is precious, you need to make something that will be amazing as well as time efficient.

Hope you all enjoy!!

Hooo Will Always Love you ?

2012-01-06T15:20:00.003-06:00

YAY! I'm back to baking. I have to admit that this break was lacking greatly in this way... I really, REALLY wanted to do some baking, but had no way to, which was sad.

So, now to start this year off right! My first real post of the year (Minus the 10 for 2011 post I did just after the New Year). Owls are awesome, and I am cheesy enough that I like playing with their name.

Yeah, That's right! Silly sayings make everything better. I told you all on my Last Owl Cookie Post that I like to say silly things like Owl Always Love you. This time, however, I did not offer to do the dishes and instead spent the entire time creating a large sink full of piping bags, tips, spatulas, and bowls filled with rock-hard royal icing (which washes away with water... after soaking). One of the best things about cookies is the colours. I love adding different colours, but the problem will always be my reluctance to do the dishes afterwards.

Looking up above, you will see the owls I created, one looks a little angry, but I like his crest. I keep thinking he is the daddy owl, and that those two beside him are the baby owls looking cute. I wanted to do a different kind of cookie this time, a round picture cookie, but I wanted to play with the owls as well, so I took a look through Google Images to see the different looks, and I didn't find anything of what I imagined. I instead took out a sheet of paper, and sketched out a design... then piped it together:

Of course the last thing I do is sketch in the details. Not a huge thing, but I got lazy and stopped taking pictures. You can fill in the blanks as to what came next.

How, I have had so many people asking me about my royal icing recipe, and I never know how to tell them that I don't have one, not written down anyway. I have tried to fill in recipes for this in the past, but now I just eye-ball it. I do have a formula for it, but it is loose.

Royal Icing a-la-Domestic Sugar
(Yeild... lots, enough for a few piping bags at least)

5 tbsp Meringue Powder
1/3th c water

Dissolve Meringue Powder in the water, using a blender to froth it a little. Make sure that there are no 'crystals' of the powder left... some brands are granular in texture, try to use something like Wilton - though I hate to say it - as it is a better brand). Once it is dissolved...

1tbsp flavor (or equiv. I sometimes use flavor oils as they have a wonderful full, unique flavor... in those cases, use a drop or two).
3-5 c powdered sugar/Icing sugar
extra water (1/2c ?)

This is where things become different. Because icing can have different textures, you will need to eye-ball it to make it the way you want it. I use the 3 second test. If you add and mix up your icing, and you want it to be like the owls above (thick without boarders), then mix it up and run a spatula through it; count to three or five, or give it a little shake. If the icing has flattened out and you cannot see any lines sticking up, you are golden. If you can see lines, add a few drops extra water... and if it runs flat right away, add more Powdered Sugar.

What I suggest is that you find what works for you. Many people out there who try flood cookies make very thin flood, trying to extend the life of what they have, and in truth, you will get a cookie with a boarder that is higher than the middle design. That is less attractive. Try to use a thicker flood whenever possible, that way the flood actually balances on top of the boarder line. Looking below, at the old owls, you can see that I piped a line around the cookie shape, then flooded it (rather than above where I didn't use a line at all to outline). You can see that the flood is thick, and above the line; you want that! The flood is thick and rich, it is not thin at all. Thinner Floods will dry and cave in.

Well, in truth, I am not actually sure if my recipe helps in the least. I am not scientific about the flood. I just go with whatever I like. For example, below, on the cards, I used a thick flood (No lines necessary) and a thick, stiff icing (less , way less water) to pipe the words. Icing is not an exact science, and wherever you live, be it humid or cold like here, affects the icing. Just play around with the water/sugar ratio and see what happens. If you look at one of my first cookies, you can see that they are also not well filled with icing.

Okay, this post is wordy. Maybe some of you read it though and found it helpful maybe some of you didn't. I just home that you enjoyed the pictures at very least.

I wonder what I am going to do next... hmm? Any suggestions \(°˛° ) ?

Top 10 for 2011

2012-01-01T14:07:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone!

Been having a ball this break, but I am super exhausted now. Instead of baking (of which I still have tonnes), I am doing my yearly 10 for the year.

Coming in at Number one is my first Rapunzel/Tangled Cake. I love this cake. It was my first big project of the year and it was absolutely fun. I am surprised at how popular it is, and am super glad that people like it.

My Little Lambs made quite the stir. I love the effect of the bubbles for fluffy wool.

And Who does not like these little Chickies, all snuggly warm in their carton.

My personal favorite was actually my Birthday cake for this year past: The Slice of Cake Cake.

My Car Crash Cupcakes told the wonderful story about how we need to get a new car :)

Owl cookies are super popular, and apparently, so were the Owls I made for my School's pot-luck.

And this year, being the year of Tutorials, was a great one for my small Cupcake Cake Tutorial.

This post is a favorite: The Cuppy Bear I made for a guest tutorial. Super cute!

And this Year's painted Grinch Cookies was pretty awesome as well.

And finally, let's not forget the Uncanny Valley Head Cake, which freaked out my kids and coworkers alike.

Well, those are my 10 for 2011. What did you do this past year?

Max, the Grinch's Dog - is that his name?

2011-12-23T06:54:00.003-06:00

No really, most people forget that the dog's name in the Grinch is Max. May be it is because I am a little silly, but I can't forget that kind of important information.

Anyway, ::
DOES A HAPPY DANCE ::
♪♪Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! ♪♪

For my Family, the eve is the most important day of the year. I am super excited! And now that our school's Christmas Concert is over, I can finally take a deep breath and enjoy it.

I was supposed to post these cookies up a few days ago, but found that I had NO time. I had a lot of those kinds of plans. So, here is the final cookie. Only two pictures of the process, but by now, you should be able to understand how I did it:

I may not have time to post over the Holiday season (But I have more cookies to post), so I am wishing you all a very Happy Christmas, Hanukkah or just the best for the season.

Sleigh Riding Max

2011-12-20T19:30:00.003-06:00

Well, apparently SANTA exists here in Fort Fabulous! A little fairy dropped a gift at my door to reveal a brand new PlayBook! HURRAH! An E-reader Has I! Totally having a blast playing with it and almost forgot to update today. Sorry!

This scene comes from Max riding on the back of the Grinch's sleigh. I love this scene, poor Max, just wants to go for a ride, like all puppies do!

Anyway, fewer pictures on this one, sorry! Even less for the last post tomorrow.

For this one, I followed the same technique.

Again, outline using the foodcolour (mixed with white), then dark line (with foodcolour - I am not sure if the food doodlers are the best quality, but you could try them), then fill in the detail.

Okay, that's enough for today! I am going back to play with my new toy!
THANKS SANTA!

Cindy Loo Hoo w Wreath Painted Tutorial

2011-12-19T18:44:00.003-06:00

Breaking down the cookies now! This is tutorial Number THREE!

For tutorials Number One and Two, just click on the numbers.

Let us continue, shall we?

The last Cindy Loo Hoo cookie was sort of sad. I didn't want to leave her looking like that, so I had to make one of her happy after Christmas comes back. So, I decided to do a cookie with her holding the Christmas Wreath.

I start by using a 'pale peach' foodcolour (mix a small bit of pink, yellow brown, and quite a bit of white). I use this for her face shape, just to give me an idea of where everything will go in the end.

Next, I ink in the black lines. In the below picture, I forgot to stop, and I had actually drawn in her hair. You can choose to do that before or after the black. I caution you to make sure each colour is dry before continuing: it will take about 3 minutes for the 'paint' to dry.

It really helps to have a good reference picture!

Next, after the black is all dry, I start to add in the colours. I dabbed on the green to give the illusion of a fluffy wreath (thicker paints will help with shading.

Finally, I add in shines and small details.
FINITO!

I took these pictures while the cookies were still wet. As they dry, the food color gets more glossy and less shiny. Sorry about the bad photo conditions.

I had my students vote on which cookie they liked the most. They all liked MAX best. I'm going to save that one for last. I have two more days to cover.

Until Tomorrow!

Cindy Loo Hoo Cookie, Painted Tutorial

2011-12-18T19:19:00.004-06:00

Hey All!
One week to go! For today's cookie tutorial, I planned to post up the Cindy step-by-step. The original picture has Cindy Loo holding a tree ornament and looking sadly at the Grinch. I love the look in her eye, it is so sad and she look so cute. I just want to HUG her.

Before I start, Trish from Sweetology101 asked a good question about what I use to paint on cookies. Simply put, a very fine-tipped paintbrush. The one below is the one I use, and it is OLD! I got it from Walmart, but truthfully, I need to invest in one from a craft store, since it will probably hold together better than this one. Either way, this one is great, if not a little weather-beaten. Hope that helps.

Now, on to Cindy Loo.

I started by combining some colours into a light peach: Lots of White, red, yellow and a touch of brown. I used that to paint the face in the background. Then, using a bright yellow, I painted in the hair. In this picture, you can see the between stages; I've put in the yellow hair, and the face colour, and I'm just beginning to line the black around the head. I had a picture taken before this, but it did not turn out well.

There, now I've got the face, hair and body all outlined.

Now I start adding in the details. Again, using a thicker colour, or a darker shade, you can shade around the edges to simulate shadows. For the Eyes, I used a blue mixed with white to thicken, this way, you can cover over any colours underneath.

Final Details, and DONE!

Below, you can see the difference in using the white to thicken the paint colour. In the Grinch's face, I used just green food colour; you can see that the colours are not as pronounced or cartoonish. After making that particular cookie, I realized that I needed the white, so I switched my tactic. White is important, but not essential.

Hope you all enjoy this last week. Hope it passes quickly. Until Tomorrow!

The Grinch - Painted Cookie Tutorial

2011-12-17T22:31:00.003-06:00

Hey All! Coming down to the crunch! Christmas is here soon!

These are my latest creation. I figured I should try something a little different, since I have very little time. While making a batch of cookies for a friends, I made 5 round cookies and decided to paint them rather than pipe them. Here's what I did:

Painting cookies is super easy. Many people would have heard of "Food Doodle" food grade markers. I like them, but they are nowhere as nice as the colours you can get out of the gel food colours (Specifically Americolor). To Paint on cookies, all you need is a good work surface, a pre-flooded cookie (Royal Icing that has hardened to create a canvas surface on the cookie), water, food gels (best is Americolor because the bottles are easier than Wilton's pots), and a very fine-tipped paintbrush.

You can put a small amount of gel-colour on a plate or on a pallet, it is up to you. I use a little bit of water to dilute the 'paint' and make it easier to draw with, but be careful, too much water will be hard to work with. If you put too much water, you also run the risk of it eating through the sugar in the flood. That means that you'll get a small hole in the cookie where the sugar was. That is not something that you can fix easily.

For today, I'm going to show you the Grinch cookie. Each day I'll post a new cookie with a quick look at how it came together.

Start by painting the green background. This may require a picture or a very good eye for what you want to do. Be creative! I used darker shades on the edges (thicker, undiluted paint colours) to map out the parts I will black/outline.

Next, I clean off my brush, then paint in the details/outlines. This part, again, takes some creativity.
To get the best colour, I like to mix the colour of paint with a white base of foodcolour. Again, Ameicolour white is essential to get good colours. You don't need it, but you will find that it will give a clearer look to the painting.
Mistakes can be fixed by dipping the paintbrush in water (pure water) and dabbing at the area. You can paint over it again with the green if you wish. I used a picture as a reference, but, again, you don't have to. If you are doing a different picture or just playing around, that's great!

LET THE BLACK DRY!
(Otherwise you may smear it with a top colour)

Now, I add in the other colours. For this, again, using white is great. As you can see, I added SOME white into the hat, it gives a little contrast. If you paint out of the lines, whatever. You can use the water trick and dab it away, or leave it like I did!

Finally, I touch up and adjust; using a little white, I add some shines in the lips and face. This gives a little more depth to the cookie and makes the painting pop.

And there you have it! Not too shabby. Painting on cookies is a nice way to make a simple cookie, and it takes less time to get a detailed product. Often, when I'm piping a cookie, I have to wait a day to see the project through to the end. This cookie took about 10 minutes to finish. Obviously you'll not want to make 100 of them, but for a quick dozen, or for a fun way to pass the time (maybe with kids) painting on cookies is great!

See you tomorrow with a Cindy-Loo Hoo cookie.

Spicy Orange Gingerbread Cookies (Recipe)

2011-12-14T21:13:00.002-06:00

I love the colours of Christmas! They are the best! Rich greens, reds, and silvers are a wonderful addition to any home.
Along with all those rich colours are the rich smells: Cookies freshly baked, Turkey piping hot, delicious sweet yams or fresh soups. It is a wonderful season indeed.

As promised, I am sharing yet another recipe from my yearly Christmas Box. These cookies are a staple in any home in the festive season: Gingerbread. Be it in cookie or in house form, I love the smell they give, and how sweet they are!

This recipe is one I've used forever. It is a rich, orange, spicy gingerbread that is quite unlike any other I've ever had. It also hold up to its shape. You can see above my snowflakes kept their shape, which is key for making houses etc.

Orange Spicy Gingerbread

1/2 c margerine
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c molasses (I use fancy type, but whatever works)
1 egg yolk (Save the white for the icing)
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp grated orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put parchment on the cookie sheet.

1. Combine margerine and sugar, add in molasses, zest and egg yolk. Set aside.

2. Combine dry ingredients (Spices, flour, and salt).

3. Incorporate slowly the dry mix into the wet. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.

4. Take mixture, and chill for at least one hour (or overnight). Remove from fridge and roll half the dough on a lightly flowered surface. Use cutters to cut shapes and bake for 8-10 minutes until firm. Remove from oven and cool. Do the same for the second half of the mix.

Yield: 30 cookies?

ENHANCE, ENHANCE, ZOOM, ENHANCE!

The above photo is super Photoshopped so that you can see the detail. The problem with my camera is that it is horrid in low light (a constant problem in my small apartment).

I hope you give the recipe a shot! If you do, tell me what you think.
Until then!