Kays Kupcakes Blog

Kays Kupcakes Blog: New menu

2012-04-19T18:02:00.001-07:00

Kays Kupcakes Blog: New menu: Kay's kupcakes is putting together the new menu for it's up coming spot Dessert Before Dinner Lounge and it's looking good. Preview to come ...

2012-04-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Dessert B4 Dinner

A Food project in Berkeley, CA by Leslie Hampton · send message

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Hi Kickstarter’s my name is Leslie. Dessert B4 Dinner is a new restaurant project in Berkeley, CA. We are currently seeking funding to get it off the ground. We thank you in advance for your time and consideration!!

Our goal: Is to open the first Dessert B4 Dinner bar in Berkeley. Dessert B4 Dinner will be a place where customers can come right in and feel at home. We are dedicated to creating an environment where you can sit down and enjoy decadent desserts and delicious food, hang out with friends, share some laughs and listen to good music. Dessert B4 Dinner will not be like most restaurants where you eat and then flee to the comforts of home because Dessert B4 Dinner will be a place where you get that I’m home feeling.

What is Dessert B4 Dinner?

It’s just that, a place where you can come in and have a mouth watering peach cobbler, banana pudding or Carmel apple cake shot for dessert before indulging in some delicious collard greens, fried green tomatoes or shrimp and grits for dinner!!! Dessert B4 Dinner is all about having delectable desserts and delicious entrees in whatever order you like. As a kid I loved Sunday dinners after church when we got to sit down for a good old southern meal but I hated having to wait for dessert. It was my daughter Kay, who insisted on ordering her dessert before dinner, who inspired me to say “Why wait”. There is just something about having the sweet before the salty just makes dinner so much better, a secret we want to share with all of our customers.

The Background:

Kay's Kupcakes, the predecessor to Dessert B4 Dinner, was a business steeped in love and tradition a quality we are bring to Dessert B4 Dinner. Baking and spending time in the kitchen has long been a tradition in our family. As a young girl I always enjoyed spending many hours in the kitchen with my mother learning how to bake and cook dinner. Cooking has been a part of my life for over 30 years and as a single mom I have shared it with my daughters. After seeing how much fun we had baking and cooking together my daughter Kay decided we should open our own bakery and Kay’s Kupcakes was born. When we reflected back on our journey and realized cooking was as much a part of the story we knew Dessert B4 Dinner was our future. Berkeley is strong in cuisine and culture and we feel we would fit right in. We want you to come in and feel at home, enjoy yourself and have a down home meal with us.

Cost summary;

Contributions through this Kickstarter campaign will help fund things like:

Rental space

Renovations

· Paint

· Lighting

· Floors

Permits

· Health department permits

Equipment

· Conventional oven

· Stoves

· Mixer’s

· Refrigerator and freezer

· Dishware and cookware

· Table & Chairs

· Ingredients

Every contribution goes a long way in supporting Dessert B4 Dinner. We are committed to keeping our dollar costs as low as possible by being our own labor force, and using recycled, and used equipment whenever possible. We are committed to a strong do-it-yourself, low-resource approach for every aspect of Dessert B4 Dinner.

Here is where you come in:

1. Donate generously. We are on the cusp of creating something great for Berkeley; PLEASE help us realize our shared dream.

2. Invite everyone you can possibly think of to donate even if it's just $1.

3. Share our Kickstarter page, our website, one of our updates, tweet about us or just re-post on your wall.

4. Tell friends and family members who you think might also be interested;

5. Promote us to the media! We're underdogs and we're doing something that is unique. These are precisely the type of stories that get covered.

Please remember that kick starters is an all-or-nothing campaign, so we do need to reach our goal in order to be successful. Ten percent of any money we raise over our goal amount will be reinvested into other kick starter projects to keep the good will going.

ADD PROJECT FAQ

New menu

2012-03-04T16:43:00.003-08:00

Kay's kupcakes is putting together the new menu for it's up coming spot Dessert Before Dinner Lounge and it's looking good. Preview to come soon

Moving to Berkley

2012-03-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I have not blogged lately but kay's cupcakes is relocating to Berkeley area to start a New dessert bar we look forward to a new start doing all the thing that we love not just baking but cooking southern food's as well we are all so putting a page up on kickstarter to raise fund for our new venture I will keep you post on what's to come

New Cake Pop Flavor's for Christmas

2011-11-25T16:37:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas time and Kays Kupcakes will have all new flavor for Christmas Here is a list of what is to come :

Oreo Peppermint cake pop
Pumpkin spice cake pop
Ginger Bread cake pop
Santa milk and cookie cake pop
Choclate Rum balls

I love My cake school with Melissa

2011-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

These are fabulous!!!!

My Cake School has all the details on how to make your own . Halloween cupcakes and so much more!!!

I fond the best blog for cake pops

2011-10-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Every Day should pop! 365 day of cake pops http://www.365cakepops.com/p/tutorials-halloween-cake-pops.html

Now i thought i was good at cake pops but she is amazing please check out her blog on cake pop!!!!

Tutorials - Halloween Cake Pops

Welcome to my favorite holiday of the year,
Halloween!

In this section I will walk you through the step-by-step process of how to make
Candy Corn Cake Pops.

I will be using white cake, though, as always, you can substitute with any other cake flavor.

Get started by gathering your supplies.
You are going to need:
Lollipop Sticks, Black Food Writing Marker, Black Licorice Pinwheels, Vanilla Candy Melts, Yellow Candy Melts, Orange Candy Melts.

And it's always a good idea to have toothpicks handy.

Step 1: Using your cake pop recipe of choice, shape the cake ball into a cone with the pointed end as the top and flatten the base.

Step 2: Dip the lollipop stick in your melted yellow candy melts about 1/2 inch.
Step 3: Place that end into the flat base of the pop.
Go about half way.

Step 4: Dip the cake pop into the yellow candy melts.

Step 5: After the pop is completely covered, gently tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to drip off the excess.

Step 6: Let harden for about 5 minutes. Then, dip the top 2/3 of the pop into the orange candy melts.

Step 7: After the top portion is completely covered, gently tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to drip off the excess.

Step 8: Let harden for about 5 minutes. Then, dip the top 1/3 into the vanilla candy melts.

Step 9: After the top portion is completely covered, gently tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to drip off the excess.

Finally, let harden completely, then the sky is the limit!

To attach the black licorice pinwheel arms, cut the licorice to your desired length. Poke a hole in each side of the pop with a toothpick deep enough so the licorice will stay on its own. Insert and form the arms any way you would like.

Grab your black food writing marker and get to work.

Create your own silly, spooky or scary faces!

There is no doubt these pops will be the life of the party!

Continuing with another Halloween tutorial!

In this section I will explain how to make
Spider Cake Pops.

Get started by gathering your supplies:
Lollipop Sticks, Black Jimmy Sprinkles, Black Licorice Pinwheels, Black Candy Melts, Wilton Candy Eyes.

Also, it's a good idea to always have toothpicks handy.

Step 1: Using your recipe of choice, roll cake into a ball.
Step 2: Dip a lollipop stick in melted black candy melts about 1/2 inch. Place that end into one side of the ball. Go about half way.
Step 3: Dip the cake pop into the black candy melts. After the pop is completely covered, gently tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to drip off the excess.
*Note: Since these pops will stand upside down, it's best to place them on wax paper to give stability as they dry.

Step 4: As the candy melt hardens, place two Wilton Candy Eyes on one side for the face.
Step 5: Immediately after, sprinkle Black Jimmy Sprinkles all over the cake ball.
Step 6: Cut black licorice pinwheel to desired length.
Applying the legs can be done one of two ways:

Option A: After the pop dries completely, poke a hole with a toothpick at each point you want to attach a leg, deep enough so the licorice stays on its own. Insert and curl the legs as shown in the picture.

Option B: Immediately after step 4, place licorice pieces on the cake ball. With this method you have to work quickly. As the candy melt hardens, place all legs and allow plenty of time to set up.

All done!

Spooky Spider Cake Pops are ready to scare things up
at your Halloween party!

I originally made these Witch Hat Cake Pops

to celebrate Make A Hat Day.

These pops are super fun and quite simple to make.

Below I will explain how to make

Witch Hat Cake Pops!

Step 1: Mold cake balls into a cone for the top of the hat.

Step 2: Using Oreo's, separate the cookies from the cream filling to use as the brims.

Step 3: Carefully poke a hole in the center of the Oreo with the sharp end of a meat thermometer (or you can use anything sharp in your kitchen).

Step 4: Place the cone cake ball on top of the Oreo cookie and stick the lollipop stick through the hole.

Step 5: Paint on a tiny bit of Karo syrup just above the brim and sprinkle on the orange and black nonpareils.

All done in just a few easy steps!

The presentation of your cake pops is almost just as important as the cake pops themselves.
Now that you have all of your favorite Halloween treats ready to go, it's time to tie it all together.

In this section I will walk you through the step-by-step process of how to make a
Halloween Cake Pop Stand.

Get started by gathering your supplies.
You are going to need:
Large Styrofoam Disc, Small Styrofoam Disc, Two Clear Glass Candlestick Holders, Black Spray Paint, and Simplicity Halloween Spider Trim.

You're also going to need a hot glue gun.

Step 1: Spray paint both Styrofoam discs.
Let dry for 24 hours before continuing with assembly.
Step 2: Apply hot glue to the top rim of
one candlestick holder.
The holders I used were from the Dollar Store.
(I did this on a budget!)
Step 3: Press the top ends of both holders together.

Step 4: Let dry for approx. 5 minutes. The wide ends should be at the top and bottom.
Step 5: Gather up your supplies again.
Step 6: Apply a thin line of hot glue around the side edges of the small Styrofoam disc. Cut the Spider Trim to size, and apply around the edge of the disc.
(I found the trim at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores)

Step 7: Apply hot glue around the edge of one end on the candlestick holder you just created.

Step 8: Place that end in the center of the large Styrofoam disc. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

Step 9: Apply hot glue around the top rim of the holder.

Step 10: Place the small Styrofoam disc on the holder.

Step 11: Begin arranging your favorite treats on

the top of the stand.

Step 12: Finish by arranging the rest of your cake pops around the bottom.

All done!

Your Halloween cake pops now have a fantastic stand to be displayed on at this year's party!

Bridal Gown Blog Review

2011-10-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Special Thank to Bridal gown Blog for all the nice things she said about Kays Kupcakes Here are some photo from her dessert table she recently posted on her blog. http://bridalgownblog.blogspot.com/
I look forward to see what she does next !

Speaking of cupcakes...mmmm! I had purchased from one of those daily deal sites (like Groupon) a deal on a dozen push cakes from Kays Kupcakes. I knew I would be celebrating 2 different occasions so, I bought multiple deals to use. I love push cakes - they are cake and frosting in those little plastic tubes - heaven! So, when I called Kay to redeem my deal I explained to her my party theme and that I had already ordered a cake but wanted to do a sweets table. She was totally flexible (and super, super nice too) so, we came up with the idea to do 1 dozen push cakes and 1 dozen cupcakes. This was perfect since I needed to use my little mini bee's! Then, towards the end of our conversation, on a whim, I asked her if she did cake pop's! YEP! She did (pricing was excellent too!) so I ordered 2 dozen cake pop's from her as well! When we finally met in person, we hit it off perfectly! She is so sweet and bubbly - she fits right into the cupcake world! Speaking of the cupcake world, Kays Kupcakes hosted Cupcake Camp OC this year. Cupcake Camp OC is a gathering of cupcake-lovers to raise money for a good cause. This annual event is 100% volunteer-organized and operated by Kay and Tiffany.

So, the most important thing about cupcakes, push cakes and cake pops are how did they taste, right?? Well, I can tell you Kays Kupcakes has gained a permanent FAN in me! The frosting was incredible, the cake super moist and yummy flavor and the cake pops - amazing! I have had quite a few cake pops - even tried to make them myself ONCE - and they are not easy! Kays Kupcakes, on the other hand, has it down!! (just a little shout out here: THANK YOU SO MUCH Kay! I am so glad I met you...I am a huge fan!). So, no matter where you are, the push cake and cake pops can be delivered so keep them in mind for your next party, you won't be disappointed!

Cake Decorating class

2011-09-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

My Cake School With Melissa is a wonderfully cake decorating class

"If you love cake decorating, you have to check her out Follow her blog for weekly entries and tutorials--or, become a member of her site & access well over 100 cake decorating videos, our forums, and Recipes section!
It is a growing a wonderful cake decorating community-- Kays Kupcakes is apart of it and I hope you'll join us!

Cupcake Camp

2011-09-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from Sunday's OC cupcake camp!! We had an awesome time and cant to host again next year !!

2011-08-29T15:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday Cake up deal !!!

$18 for One Dozen Scrumptious Cake-Ups ($36 Value)

www.screamindailydeals.com

Grab this Screamin Deal for you and that sweet tooth! Only $18 for One Dozen Scrumptious Cake-Ups from Kay's Kupcakes ($36 Value)!

2011-08-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Peach Hat Pies By Sweetology

Summer Peach Hat Pies!

TOO CUTE!

Unlike the divine but fussy Strawberry Chiffon from last week,

these mini pies where a BREEZE to make and

tasted so wonderful!

There is also a link on my recipes page.

SUMMER HAT PEACH PIES (4 individual pies)

4 canned peach halves, drained and patted dry
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 T butter cut into 4 equal pats
1 (14.1 oz) package refrigerated piecrusts (2 sheets)
1 large egg
1 tsp water
4 small edible flowers to garnish

Preheat oven to 425

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Fill each peach cavity with1/2 tsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and 1 butter pat.
Press firmly to pack filling. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie dough sheets.

Using a 4 ½ inch round cutter, cut 8 circles from pie dough, reserving scraps.

Using rolling pin, roll 4 circles into 5 inch rounds. Set aside.

Place remaining 4 circles on prepared baking sheet.
Carefully invert a peach half (so that filling does not fall out) on the center of each circle on baking sheets.

Using fingers lightly moisten edges of circles with water. Top each with 5 inch circle.

Press pie dough lightly to mold to the peach, and them press edges of pie dough together.

Using a chopstick, press dough together to create texture for the brim of the hat.

With a sharp paring knife, cut vertical and then horizontal slits across the rounded surface of the hat.

(This vents for steam to escape as the pie cooks as well as provides texture to look like a hat)

Using dough scraps, cut long strips to form band for the base of the brim of each hat

Trim excess dough where ends of band overlap

In small bowl, combine egg and water, beating well. Brush egg wash over surface of each hat

Bake until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool

Garnish with edible flower where pie dough overlaps.

So sweet they are.......

Official Tea Time Taste Tester Sophia Rose says....

It's a winner Mom!

Do you see the little teacup in the photos above?

This little teacup is a sweetie...it recently caught my eye as I thought the delicate blue roses were so unique and I LOVE the pedestal!

But my favorite part of this cup is the handle....

I appreciate this handle for many reasons.

For one, it made me think of the phrase...

"Square peg, round hole"

Ya....I can relate little cup!!

I hope you try to make these easy little pies and if you do,
let me know how you liked them!

I plan to make these for a large tea I am hosting the end of August.

2011-08-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you for stopping by Kays Kupcake Blog! If you are new here, feel free to subscribe to our blog. If you find our blog helpful or yummy, please let others know. :)

The Cupcake Kids

2011-07-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

Please take a little time to read this and help me to pass this on

April 22, 2011 | Author Cupcake

This post was originally published by our friends, and Sixty Feet Adoption Family for March, The Dinsmores (http://thefarmerswifetellsall.blogspot.com/).

This should be a very sad post about a hopeless place.

But it’s not.

On our last full day in Africa we visited one of the government remand centers for children. The concept of a children’s prison is hard to understand, but basically street children are rounded up and taken to these places. Strange as it may seem. it’s the government’s way of keeping them off of the streets. Also mixed in these remand centers are juvenile offenders. Children as young as two and as old as eighteen are in these remand centers.

We went into remand center “M” with a team from Sixty Feet. Jon and I along with three other adoptive families and Sixty Feet staff members went that day. Sixty Feet sends their staff to minister at the remand centers on given days, and they work in six different centers.

Moses is Sixty Feet’s in-country coordinator at the remand centers. Godfrey, our beloved driver and friend, also works for Sixty Feet. The guesthouse we stayed in was next door to Godfrey and his wife Tina, and Moses and his wife Betty, and we grew to adore them all. Betty, at seven months pregnant, joined us that day to provide the kids at “M” with medical treatment (she is a nurse.) She was quite a sight, pregnant and with her 18 month old toddling around while she ministered with her husband. I have never known such purehearted, God-loving people.

It looked like any other prison from the outside.

Inside was different. Prisons don’t usually have children’s beds and clothes lying around.

There were kids dressed in rags.

Half of the boys did not have shirts on. We were told that was because they were new there, and it is the easiest way to identify new children. We were also shown the isolation cells new kids are kept in.

The smell was almost more than I could take when we walked past the cells, and after seven days in Africa I had smelled a lot. We entered a gathering room where the inmates assemble for their time of worship and devotion led by Moses. The kids sat on concrete floors and their minister opened up in prayer. After that, the kids sang worship songs in their native language. Looking around at them,with hands held high and eyes shut in worship, I thought of Paul and Silas singing in prison. In this ugly place, a room full of hungry, dirty, and even sick children were raising their voices and saying that God is good. These children have seen the worst that life has to offer – many have experienced abuse, neglect, or have just been left there by their parents. And yet, the love of God was so present in that place.

Moses began speaking in his gentle but powerful way. He talked to them simply about God’s love and forgiveness and the hope we all have in Christ. He explained to them that the families visiting that day were doing so because we had God’s love in our hearts and wanted to share it with them. Moses also said something none of us knew at that point. We knew the water pump was broken and there had not been water there that day. None of us realized this meant the kids did not get their porridge for breakfast or have anything to eat or drink that day.

It just happened that Sara, one of the moms with us, had this wild idea a few days earlier – to bake 400 cupcakes for all of the kids at the remand centers Sixty Feet serves. The Cupcake Kids national bake sale happened two days prior all over the U.S. to raise money for these very kids, so Sara thought it would be fun if we baked them all cupcakes so they could be a part of it. She and the mamas at her guest house spent most of the weekend baking cupcakes. I joined them for a while Sunday afternoon. We measured, mixed, and baked without any measuring spoons or timers in true Africa fashion. By the end of it, we were all sick of cupcakes!

Anyway, Moses told the kids that we brought them cupcakes and juice and that God had orchestrated this on a day when they would not have had anything to eat or drink. They broke into applause. Sara stood up to try and explain the national Cupcake Kids bake sales and that kids all over the U.S. were hosting bake sales because they loved these imprisoned kids. She got about halfway through before she was tearing up. Moses closed in prayer and we went outside where the kids lined up for us to serve them. You never saw such happy kids in your life!

Jon brought soccer balls and passed them out. Then he and Godfrey went off for a soccer game with the kids.

This should have been a very sad post about an awful place.

But two things stand out to me. First, that the hope I saw there was a product of God’s people being obedient to His calling. It takes a lot of hands and feet both in-country and in the U.S. to give these kids ongoing medical care and to have the word of God shared with them through Sixty Feet. Secondly, I was reminded how God can use anything for good. This was supposed to be a terrible place. And in many ways it was. But it was full of the love of God.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. – Genesis 50:20

I found this today and i think i am going to have to try this one looks great

2011-07-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Found this one on the cupcake diary

Green Tea & Pomegranate Potion #9

Makes 4 dozen mini cupcakes

Green tea & Pomegranate Cupcake:

1 cup POM Wonderful Juice

1 cup white sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, room temperature + 1 large egg yolk

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons green tea matcha powder

Pinch of salt

½ cup POM Wonderful Arils to top cupcakes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Line mini cupcake tins with red foil liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, matcha powder and salt.

2. Combine sugar and POM Wonderful juice into a jar or bottle and shake well. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until pale and fluffy. Add egg plus egg yolk and mix until well combined.

3. Pour in 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with the POM Wonderful Juice mixture, 1/3 at a time until well combined. Divide the batter among the liners, filling each about ¾ full.

4. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. About 10 minutes.

Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons green tea matcha powder

1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar and matcha powder and beat until smooth.

Pomegranate Potion #9:

2 oz. Vodka

6 oz. POM Wonderful Juice

1 cup white sugar

3 slices of orange rind

1. Place orange rinds, POM Wonderful Juice and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes.

2. Remove the orange rinds, pour POM Wonderful Juice mixture into a glass and let cool. Mixture will form a thick syrup when cooled.

To Finish:
1. Frost a swirl of Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting on top of mini cupcake. Pour Pomegranate Poition #9 syrup into a piping bag. Cut the tip and drizzle in the form of a zig zag on top of mini cupcakes. Sprinkle fresh POM Wonderful Arils on top and enjoy!

I love Tiffany's

2011-07-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Wilton Assorted Jewel Mini Cups, 100 Count

How to Make Tiffany Cupcakes

Posted by admin | Filed under "How-To" Tutorials, bridal showers, wedding favors

Have you seen these yet? Aren’t they darling? These are Tiffany cupcakes! Tiffany cupcakes are based on the universally recognizable company that most women dream about; hoping to get that “little blue box” for every major holiday and occasion. These cupcakes are quite simple to make yet make quite an impact. They are just perfect for bridal showers and birthdays. Here’s what you’ll need to make them……
First, bake some cupcakes using your favorite cupcake recipe. Allow to cool.

Then, prepare your tastiest buttercream frosting. You will need to cover the top of the cupcakes with frosting prior to covering them with fondant.

Next, as mentioned, cover the tops of your cupcakes with frosting. You will need about three-four tablespoons per cupcake. You don’t want to put too much frosting though, or the icing will ooze out from underneath the fondant. Yet if you put too little, your cupcakes will look flat and you’ll want to make sure they have a nice dome. It’s best to experiment to see what works best for you. After you’ve covered your cupcakes with buttercream, you’ll want to prepare the fondant. Tint your fondant “Tiffany blue” and roll out to about an 1/8 inch in thickness. Use a large pastry circle cutter to cut out your circles to place on top of the cupcakes.

Next, make your cute Tiffany bows! Roll out a few strips of white fondant about an inch in thickness. To form the bow loops, gather the two strips together to a size that you prefer and bring together to a central point forming a bow. Use a dab of water to allow them to stick together. Add a small piece of fondant around the center of the two loops to form the center of the bow. Put paper towel or cotton in the two bow loops while they dry so that they don’t sag. You’ll want nicely formed bow loops that can stand up nicely on their own.

Lastly, add a 1 1/2 inch strip of fondant across the diameter of the cupcake on top of your blue fondant. Place the dried bow loops on top of the strip, centering it and securing with a dab of water. Finally, sit back and daydream about your little blue box!! Until it arrives, enjoy all of your cute cupcake handiwork and get ready for lots of ooohs and ahhhs when folks see these little beauties!

We Jammin

2011-07-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

We jammin I think these are the amazing cupcakes

Hey Mon Rasta Cupcakes, a photo by Sugar Daze (f/k/a LittleMissCupcakeParis) on Flickr.

Hey mon, check out these rasta cupcakes made for a cool birthday bash. Storm and Almond-Cherry cupcakes with handmade sugarpaste toppers.

2011-07-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Check out 1 fine cookie she has lots of goodies on her site

Chili Cheese Fry Cupcakes…or chili cheese fry cups.

By Jasmin On July 11, 2011 · 9 Comments

I like things that come in cups. Well, either that or miniature, gigantic or on a stick. It cannot be average. That is the rule. I don’t know why, I just do. If you haven’t noticed yet, I like to make food in weird ways. “Manly” food is no exception.

I like “manly” food. I want [...]

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Pop Rock Cupcakes with Pop Rock Fireworks Truffle Toppers. America, Eff Yeah. (And Canada too)

By Jasmin On June 29, 2011 · 4 Comments

Okay, okay FINE! I will create something incredibly clichéd and obnoxious for the 4th of July. Yes, not only will it have red, white and blue, but I have successfully made it so that it explodes in your mouth. Like fireworks. This is totally in your face and over the top. Sort of like America.
[...]

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Toasted S’more-Stuffed Strawberries. I love America. (with a gluten-free option)

On June 27, 2011By Jasmin

I seriously think I have discovered something so atrociously delicious, that should you ever meet me in person I expect to be slapped in the face. Then immediately made out with. Unless you are ugly. Then just shake my hand.

I wanted to create something over the top and delicious for this Independence Day. [...]
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Land Shark Fin Cookies, Layered Jello Shot Lemon & Lime Wedges, & Flip Flop Sandwiches. 3 Easy Recipes.

On June 24, 2011By Jasmin

Okay, so sometimes we get caught up with the hecticness which we call life. I get it. Especially after a 14 hour work day. So sometimes you need something a little more quick and simple. Now if you buy fast food and microwave meals then comment about how much work a recipe takes, that’s different. You’re just laazzzzzy. [...]
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“Cheeseburger in Paradise” Cake. A tutorial.

On June 23, 2011By Jasmin

Okay, so burgers are possibly one of my favorite foods. It’s horrible for you blah blah blah. Oh, and if you are a vegetarian, no excuse. I have eaten some delectable non-meat ones too. You just might have to put a little more effort into finding a good veggie burger, but they are out there. I [...]

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Margarita Pies with Salted Graham Crusts, Topped with Alcohol Whipped Cream. In Lime Cups….and Jimmy Buffett Tailgating

On June 21, 2011By Jasmin

I asked 1 Fine Cookie fans on my Facebook fan page for recommendations of stores that sold tropical print last week. This is because I attended the Jimmy Buffett concert in Massachusetts last Saturday. No big surprise here that I used this as an opportinuty to make bajillions of recipes inspired by Jimmy Buffett/summer fun.
If you are [...]
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Father’s Day Roundup. Giggity.

On June 16, 2011By Jasmin

Sorry giggity has absolutely nothing to do with Father’s Day. I might have turrets.

So in case you are a horrible daughter/son/husband/wife/whatever and have not even bothered to plan a thing for your dad, well you should count your lucky stars because being the good friend that I am, [...]

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Golden Beer Cupcakes, with Beer & Bacon Frosting. Don’t Knock it ‘Til You’ve Tried It.

On June 13, 2011By Jasmin

Okay, so a beer cupcake sounds strange. I know, I know. I can just see it now, you people in your so-called forums. “Oh that sounds gross,” or, “I don’t know if that would be good.” Well, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.
Let me just say I have a special friend who is possibly the pickiest eater I [...]
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Bacon Mustache and Tie for Breakfast. Make Dad Wear AND Eat His Gift.

On June 9, 2011By Jasmin

Father’s day is just around the corner, so you best be deciding on what to do for him before he writes you out of his will. Earlier in the week, I posted a tutorial on how to make golf ball cake pops, made out of beer and bacon cake with frosting.

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Kays Kupcakes Cake Ups

2011-07-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dessert lovers are sure to agree; there is nothing quite like an individualized cake topped with confection…with a stick in it. If you ould eat dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you are not going to believe how sweet this uniquecake up is for you and your sweet tooth! For only $36.00 dollars get One Dozen Scrumptious Cake-Ups from Kay's Kupcakes

Kay’s Kupcakes offers a broad range of Cake-Ups, Cupcakes, and Wedding Cakes, all made from scratch! They cater to all of their customers by using the highest quality fresh ingredients and their Cake-Ups are innovative and delicious. Talk about a new and unique way to enjoy cake, where you just push the yummy goodness up! They offer an array of tasty flavors to choose from with this deal like Red Velvet, Cookies ‘n Cream, Vanilla Cake, Birthday Cake, and Snicker Doodle.

In addition to that, they feature a variety of unique and gourmet cupcakes in many creative flavors like Key Lime, Brown Sugar Pound Cake, Fresh-Fruit Cupcakes, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Maple Bacon with a Maple Buttercream frosting sprinkled with Bacon. Yum! Kay’s Kupcakes also make custom cakes and cupcakes for any occasion so keep them in mind when you have an upcoming birthday, wedding, or holiday party!

Treat yourself (and your friends, if you feel like sharing) to some delicious confections and try it in a fun way with Kay’s Kupcakes Cake-Ups. Hurry and grab your Cake-Ups are a sweet treat and paired with this deal, you’ll get a sweet price!

http://kayskupcakescakery.weebly.com/

How to Make Two-Tone Frosted Cupcakes

2011-07-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Found these great cupcake on Katis Kupcakes http://www.katiskupcakes.com/2011/01/two-tone-cupcakes/

Making cupcakes with more than one frosting color can be a unique and eye-catching way to WOW your guests. It is very easy to accomplish if you start with the right tools. The supplies you will need include the following: large plastic/disposable piping bags, your favorite piping tips, Wilton Icing Colors, pre-made “ready to frost” cooled cupcakes and some of your favorite frosting, I prefer to use a basic vanilla buttercream. *I tend to use disposable piping bags because after you finish frosting your cupcakes, you can throw the messy used bag away and not worry about the messy clean-up! Once you have your favorite premade cupcakes cooled, you are ready to get on with the fun of frosting them! And wait til you see how easy these are—very little effort for a very big reward! Let’s get started!!

Step 1

Bake your favorite cupcakes and allow them to cool.

Step 2

Gather several bowls filled with buttercream frosting. Gather your favorite Wilton Icing Colors and mix a few tablespoons into the frosting. Mix until you achieve the desired color you are hoping for. My personal favorites are the brightest and boldest colors since they make the most impact when piped.

Step 3

Gather your piping bag (plastic or disposable). I recommend a large bag (such as an 18 inch) to give you room to add at least two colors. I used THREE colors for my cupcakes and it makes your frosting look even more fun, unique and colorful! Snip the tip of your disposable bag (or put your piping tip in the plastic bag) and insert your favorite tip. Line the bag with your choice of frosting colors. Layer the frosting on top of each other as seen in the photo below:

Step 4

Next, pipe the frosting on to your pre-made cooled cupcake. Make certain all of the colors are showing up as you pipe, if not restart the steps above taking care to layer the colors carefully in the piping bag. Here’s how mine looked:

Step 5

Gather some other colors and repeat the same steps as above; being careful to layer the colors carefully to achieve the best results. This time I chose blue, green and yellows and swirled them on my cupcakes–these are perfect for boys who might not like the colors pink, purple and orange. I also think these would be great for Earth Day–don’t you?

Step 6

Stand back and admire your handiwork-you accomplished making two-tone frosted cupcakes!!! You and your cupcakes will be the talk of the party they’re attending, lol! Great job! Here’s a look at my set of cupcakes–I was very happy with the vibrant, brilliant colors that came through–hope to hear how you all made out!

Mason Jar Cupcakes

2011-07-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

A Fun way to have a cupcake.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcake

2011-07-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

via Whitney Walker on Flickr and recipe available at amybites

Flamingo Cupcakes

2011-07-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Flamingo cupcake cuteness! By Ninas Kleiner Food-Blog (in German), where you can find out more, via Flickr.

Sprinkles Cupcake mix

2011-07-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Cupcake recipes

2011-07-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

I found these wonderfully recipes on cupcake bakeshop by Chockit and i cant wait to try them.

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Posted by chockylit in General (Sunday January 30, 2011 at 12:24 pm)

I will be honest, these cupcakes came about by accident. My intention was a honey-almond cupcake, but I had this newly discovered sweet potato flour and wanted to try it. As soon as I added the flour to the batter I knew I had something else on my hands. Quite anxious, I pushed forward with the recipe, all along feeling a cupcake disaster was sure to ensue. Thankfully I was altogether wrong. The cupcakes turned out utterly delicious. I was surprise by their texture – quite billowy and soft, but also with a toothsome texture from the almond meal. And the sweet potato flavor was there, but subtle allowing the honey and almond to shine through as well.
The frosting? What can I say – this is my current absolute favorite frosting. It’s just a notch above it’s cousin, the salted caramel frosting recipe, that is my go-to frosting for just about anything. But bourbon has it’s adult appeal and it’s my top-pick for adult events.
You may start noticing a trend with this and future recipes… gluten-free. We have discovered that our daughter is wheat or gluten sensitive (we haven’t narrowed it down, but are basically cutting out gluten all around). This recipe is naturally gluten-free, but if you wanted to transform it into a straight up honey-almond cupcake and don’t mind gluten, just swap the sweet potato flour for all-purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum.
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
~24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups almond meal
4 large eggs
3/4 cup high-quality honey
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweet potato flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add almond meal and beat to combine.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
5. Measure the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
6. Measure out the honey and buttermilk. Stir to combine.
7. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the wet ingredients and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3′s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Bourbon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
pinch salt
4 tablespoons bourbon
2 packages phili cream cheese, room temp
1 cup butter, room temp
6 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. Heat brown sugar, cream, butter, salt over medium high heat whisking until sugar is dissolved. Cook for another minute.
2. Pour in bourbon and stir to combine. Take off heat and let cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until soft.
4. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat to combine.
5. Add three tablespoons of the bourbon caramel (you might have some left over) and beat to combine. You can always add more, but the frosting may end up pretty soft.
Assembly
1. Frost.
2. Top with homemade sweet potato chips.

Almond Orange Cupcakes

These cupcakes are very almondy. Almond is the predominant flavor but you catch the citrus as well, especially in the frosting. These cupcakes are great for the winter season and pair well with an Italian themed dinner. I made about 100 mini of these cupcakes along with 100 mini chocolate with salted caramel cream cheese frosting for an event. Both were a hit. The second is my go-to recipe for parties – always a crowd-pleaser.
If you follow Kay Kupcakes blog on Facebook, you know that I have been promising the recipe for Honey Bourbon cupcakes. Well, the last batch still weren’t quite right! I will be testing these out again very soon and hope to have a successful recipe to post this month. I might tweak it to fit this competition. I think I can’t resist entering this one, it’s just too up my alley.
Almond Orange Cupcakes
~15 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

7 ounces almond paste (not marzipan)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 stick butter, unsalted/room temp
4 eggs, large/room temp
2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
zest of one half an orange

1. Beat almond paste at low speed to loosen up, about 30 seconds.
2. Gradually add sugar while beating at low speed.
3. Continue to beat at low speed for 1 minute or so.
4. Add the ricotta and beat to combine.
5. While beating at low speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time, waiting for the butter to incorporate until adding the next pat.
6. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, beat at medium for about 2 minutes until fluffy.
7. Crack eggs into a bowl and break up with a fork.
8. At low speed gradually add eggs about a tablespoon at a time, waiting for the eggs to incorporate until adding the next bit.
9. Beat again at medium speed for about 2 minutes.
10. Measure out flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and whisk to combine.
11. With a rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into the cake batter until combined.
12. Mix in orange juice and zest.
13. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, fill about 1/2 inch from the top (3/4 full).
14. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Note: These cupcakes are moist and don’t rise too much so you can fill the papers pretty full. They also stay flat if you like that.
Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces or 1 package of Philly cream cheese
1 stick butter
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste
zest of one half an orange
zest of one half a lemon

1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for a couple of hours.
2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
3. Sift 3 cups of the powdered sugar into the bowl, add the juice and zest, and beat until combined.
4. Add more sugar and/or orange juice until you get to the consistency, flavor, and sweetness you like.
Note: You can also add a little natural orange extract if you want to pump up the orange flavor.
Assembly
1. Frost cupcakes.
2. Top with an almond or candied orange peel.

Yuzu White Chocolate Cupcake

Posted by chockylit in General (Sunday September 26, 2010 at 9:51 pm)

Two sources of previous inspiration collided recently. A lunch at Ozumu introduced me to yuzu and then a couple of weeks later a pass through the Village Market in the Ferry Building turned up a jar of yuzu marmalade. I took it as a sign that a yuzu cupcake was in order.
Yuzu is making its rounds on dessert menus these days often paired with white chocolate. I decided to go the same route. I thought about a third flavor, but wanted to keep this first experiment pretty simple partly because I was taking them to a party with a lot of kids. The yuzu marmalade is quite tart and at least my kid wasn’t a fan. She ate up the rest of the cupcake though. The adults agreed that the yuzu and white chocolate combination was tasty. The white chocolate whipped cream is a light alternative to buttercream when you don’t want something too sweet.
Oh, and I don’t think that I have mentioned that I am on Facebook. If you prefer to get your updates there…
White Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
~18 regular-sized cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean
4 large egg whites

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
4. Measure out milk and vanilla and mix together. Add the seeds scraped out of 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until firm. Fold egg whites gently into the batter until you can see no more streaks.
7. Scoop into cupcake papers about half full. Don’t overfill.
8. Place cupcakes in the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Note: These cupcake will rise some and then shrink back a bit. If you are using regular cupcake papers, the paper shrinks with them. With the firmer cupcake papers I use, they pull from the side. I don’t worry about it too much as it’s not obvious once the frosting is on top.

White Chocolate Whipped Cream from Gourmet Productions

2 cups heavy cream
9 ounces white chocolate, I used Green & Blacks
1 vanilla bean

1. Pour heavy cream into a medium sized bowl and warm over a bain marie (water bath).
2. Split the vanilla bean and add it to the cream.
3. Chop the chocolate and add it to the cream once its steaming. Whisk to melt chocolate.
4. Once smooth remove from the water bath and chill until cold in the refrigerator. Whisk occasionally so a film doesn’t form on top.
5. Whip with a whisk attachment on high speed until for about 3 minutes until it’s frosting consistency.
Assemble
1. Fill the cooled cupcakes using the cone method with yuzu marmalade.
2. Frost.
3. Garnish with what you have on hand. I had some chia seed!

Cherry Bomb Cupcakes with Meringue Frosting

Posted by chockylit in General (Sunday August 29, 2010 at 9:31 am)

I felt the need to give these cupcakes a name – they had that much personality. I was about to add half as much chili as planned, but thought why not and dumped it all in. The result? Chili cherry chocolate cupcakes with a good kick. Funnily enough, “cherry bomb” was my ring name when I was an amateur kick boxer. I got that name from the cherry tattoos on my arms and my explosive power, I am sure… My fighting days are well passed me, but a taste explosion is well within my repertoire.
I purchased a jar of Italian wild cherries in syrup based purely on the attractive container. The jar lay ignored in a drawer while I struggled with what to do with the gluten-free chocolate cupcake recipe as a base for something I intended to bring to a party. A trip to the ferry building resulted in a 13 dollar jar of yuzu jam (for a later recipe – it better be tasty!) and I was still without ideas. The cherries called to me from their cool, dark spot and finally inspiration hit. But cherries and chocolate are pretty run of the mill. I decided on the chili so these cupcakes wouldn’t be forgettable.
I was hearing good things at the party. The cupcakes were spicy but that was appreciated. I liked the combination of the chocolate, chili, and tart but sweet cherries.

Gluten-Free Chili Chocolate Cupcakes
~16 regular-sized cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3.5 ounces (100 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
1-1/2 sticks (172 grams) butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (223 grams) sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (40 grams) quinoa flour, gluten-free (or all purpose flour for non-gluten free)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour)

1. Chop the chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.
2. Add the butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts and the butter is combined.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4. Measure out the flour, cocoa, chili powder, cayenne powder, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum (if using) into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together.
5. Transfer the cooled chocolate/butter mixture to the electric mixer and beat for 3 minutes.
6. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 10 seconds between each.
7. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine.
8. Scoop into cupcake cups only 2/3s full. Bake all the cupcakes at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Note: If the oven is not hot enough than these cupcakes may over-flow. One way to be safe is to either fill 2/3′s full or another trick I use is to preheat to 375, then drop the heat to 350 once I put the cupcakes in. I also rotate the pans after 15 minutes of baking. It is safe to gently move them at that point and I find the lower back of my oven to be a bit cooler.

Meringue Frosting

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar

1. Combine egg whites and sugar into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and set over a bain marie (water bath).
2. Whisk by hand for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved or preferably until the mixture reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit. (Apparently 160 is safest. I have never tried that so can’t tell you if it will still be ok for the frosting. So if you are concerned use pasteurized eggs.)
3. Transfer bowl to electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 10 minutes.
4. Beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 to 10 minutes more.

Assemble
1. Fill the cooled cupcakes using the cone method with cherries. I used jarred cherries in syrup and included one whole one and some chopped up ones.
2. Frost.
3. Toast with a torch if you have one.

Watermelon-Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes

Posted by chockylit in Chocolate,Watermelon (Sunday August 15, 2010 at 3:00 pm)

It’s summer. And in most parts of the US when it is summer, it is warm. Maybe even *hot*. In San Francisco, it’s foggy, drizzly, and 55 degrees. Despite the fact that I have to wear a jacket and scarf when heading out in the morning, I am still thinking of summery things – like ice cream. I have been itching to make an ice cream cupcake and finally got around to it this weekend.
I have done these before – yummy concoctions consisting of layers of cake, ice cream, and frosting – but for my two previous attempts, I made my own ice cream or sorbet. This time around I was hoping to be inspired by my favorite ice cream shop – Humphry Slocombe.

Humphry Slocombe is walking distance from my house. For a while there Naomi and I would head over just about every other Saturday for a cone. We stopped by Friday evening to pick up a couple pints for the cupcake project. (It’s a good time to go, around 6pm on a weekday, there is no line…) The color of the salted watermelon sorbet immediately caught my eye. I confirmed with the guy behind the counter that the fudgsicle sorbet would pair well – he had tasted the combination earlier in the day.
Indeed this cupcake combo is a winner. I am surprisingly pleased with how the watermelon buttercream frosting turned out and the watermelon-chocolate combination, even with a hint of salt, is wonderfully tasty. It feels like summer almost!
The recipes below will make you 12 to 14 ice cream cupcakes with some ice cream and frosting left over.
Chocolate Cake
1 sheet pan / 350 degree oven

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Valrhona brand
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2 Add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined.
3. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. Spread the batter evenly onto a sheet pan that has been covered in parchment paper and greased well with butter.
7. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Note: Let the cake cool fully in the pan. After about 30 minutes, I flipped the cake on to a second sheet pan and then removed the parchment paper. This seemed to make it easier to cut the rounds, but may have been unnecessary.

Watermelon Syrup

~ 2 cups fresh watermelon meat

1. Peel and chop the fresh, seedless watermelon.
2. Using a blender or food processor puree the watermelon.
3. Separate at least 2/3 cup watermelon juice from the pulp by pressing it through a metal sieve.
4. Bring at least 2/3 cup of watermelon juice to boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and boil the juice for about 10-15 minutes or until reduced by almost half.
5. Once again separate the juice from any solids by pouring the a metal sieve. Allow to cool.

Watermelon Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup watermelon syrup

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy.
3. Add watermelon syrup and beat to combine.
4. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.
[optional] Add pink food coloring and beat to combine.
Candied Watermelon Rind Rounds

leftover watermelon rind
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

1. Using a small circle cookie cutter (about 1/2″ diameter) stamp out 14-16 watermelon rind rounds.
2. In a small saucepan combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.
3. Add the rounds, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Take off the heat and let sit for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove the rounds and place on a wire grate to cool.
6. After cooled, roll the rounds in sugar.

Assemble
Something like this setwill come in handy when making these sorts of cupcakes. As will the type of cupcake papers I use. You will also need room in your freezer to freeze the cupcakes in between steps.
1. Find the right sized cutter to get a cupcake round for the bottom and top of the cupcake. I had to use to very different sized cutters.
2. Eyeball how many cupcakes you can get out of the sheet pan before you start cutting. I eyeballed about 14 which is what I got.
3. Stamp out the bottoms and tops.
4. Fill each cupcake paper with a bottom round of cake.
5. Take your first ice cream flavor out of the freezer and transfer it into a bowl. Mix it with a wooden spoon to soften.
6. Scoop a small scoop of ice cream into each cupcake. Smooth out with the back of a spoon. Transfer the cupcakes to the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.
7. Now repeat with the second ice cream flavor and chill again for about 10 minutes.
8. Now top with the last cupcake round and chill again for 10 or so minutes.
9. Now top with buttercream frosting and a candied watermelon rind round.
Note: Store cupcakes in the freezer. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 or so minutes before serving. Firm ice cream works best for these projects otherwise the ice cream gets very melty…

Baking in Bulk

Posted by chockylit in General (Monday June 21, 2010 at 9:37 pm)

I rarely if ever veer from the standard post of recipe with pictures. I don’t do book reviews, product reviews, talk about cupcakes in general, etc. This blog is about recipes I create and pictures that go along with them. I am veering with this post though.
I baked for an event a month or so back and I had been thinking about posting just about that process. As I would heartily recommend to you, when baking for an event I stick to what I know. So, there are no new recipes or experiments to share – just the process that I go through when baking in bulk for events.
I decided to bake for an event for my daughter’s preschool (even though she doesn’t officially start until September). The event was a country fair and the highlight would be the sheering of the two school sheep. (Yes, there is a school in the middle of San Francisco with two sheep…) This is the basic process I followed and have followed in the past.
Step 1: Find inspiration and come up with a high level plan

Whenever I am asked to or offer to bake for an event, I always look for at least one bit of of inspiration. If the event is for a person, I might ask their favorite color. Or if I know the person well, I will use whatever color I associate with them. I will look to something special about the event for inspiration. Is it themed for example. Flavor-wise I tend to just ask – are you a chocolate person? What’s your favorite fruit? Spice? Etc.
In this case, my starting point was sheep. So I did some googling and came across the PERFECT little sheep already done up for me in royal icing. I wanted to have both a chocolate and non-chocolate cupcake and something color-wise to contrast. I thought brown plus green would be a nice combo, so I quickly settled on vanilla cupcakes with green tea frosting and chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. The wonderful eBay shop owner, Lisa, hooked me up with a custom order and made up a bunch of sheep and birds shipped individually packaged and shipped all the way from the UK. The school also has chickens, but I settled for birds as I knew she could make them.

Step 2: Write out all your recipes

At a minimum you should print out all your recipes with the correct quantities. I also recommend writing them out as this ensures you read the recipe through and orients you to the steps involved, the equipment you will need, etc. I tend to write out my recipes like this and cross things out as I do them so I don’t forget. Most standard cupcake recipes make 24 or so cupcakes – at least on my blog. Sometimes I will halve them and make only 12. Usually for events you are baking a lot of cupcakes. This is where it gets tricky for the home baker. You really should make NO more then 30 to 36 at a time. Most mixers can’t accommodate more batter than that and you don’t want to over stuff the home oven. So do know that if you are making 100 cupcakes you likely have to make them in 3 batches. Professionals have quite an edge with their jumbo mixers and large, commercial convection ovens. Baking in bulk at home is a pain and I really try to avoid it. That said, I do occasionally give in…
When changing the quantities of a recipe start with the eggs. If there are 3 eggs in the recipe don’t halve the recipe for example. Either multiply everything by 1/3 or 2/3s. Regardless, get ready to do some fractions. Google can also help with this. Just be careful, check your math, and write everything down clearly.

Step 3: Prepare a plan and your ingredients

Now that you have your recipes you need to write down your shopping list and come up with a plan of action. The shopping list is pretty easy. So I won’t cover that, although I do write out my shopping lists in the order in which I will come across the ingredients at the grocery store – but that’s me – and I am a bit anal about being “efficient”. The important thing is to plan what you will bake when. If you are an amateur baker such as myself, you likely have a demanding full-time job and/or have a family to take care of. So it’s likely you won’t have the large swath of free time it will take to get something like this done in one go.
I always start from the time of the event. I like to leave assembly for the day of the event and usually leave an hour or two for assembly and packing assuming I am making 100 or so cupcakes. If the event is at 11am on a weekend for example, plan on getting up early and focusing on assembly. If the event is in the afternoon, say 3 or so, you can plan on finishing up some recipes the morning off. Regardless, leave plenty of buffer for unexpected events. This will definitely help minimize stress.
This event was on Saturday at 11am, so I wouldn’t have the weekend to work and would just have the morning to assemble. I had to bake after work during the week (my least favorite time). I try to spread the work out as much as I can without having to resort to freezing anything. Buttercream and chocolate ganache frostings can store in the fridge well covered up to three days. Cupcakes also store in the fridge well covered up to three days, but I like to bake them as close to the event as I can. So, I tend to do the frostings first. One note: meringue frostings don’t store well. So forgo them when you are doing a large project.
I always try to fill and frost the day of the event if I can, the night before if its for very early in the morning or I am taking them to work. In this case I started on Wednesday with frostings, made a batch of cupcakes Thursday, and another on Friday. I assembled on Saturday morning. I purposefully didn’t make these filled cupcakes as that basically doubles the work involved. Making the fillings takes more time, but doing the actual filling can be very time-consuming. I have filled cupcakes when making about 120 or so once, but it was for a wedding and it was before I had a child and other demands on my time. In those days I could spend the entire weekend in the kitchen without a second thought. Those days are over… Take on what you can manage without causing undo stress.

Step 4: Prepare all the recipes and store them for final assembly

A bit earlier I recommended baking in 30 to 36 cupcake batches in order to avoid disaster. I still recommend that. I rarely heed my own advice and made 2 batches with about 46 cupcakes in each batch. I have a larger sized mixer, but it was still a challenge. Don’t even attempt doubling a standard recipe if you don’t have a 6-quart mixer.
I managed the over-stuffing of the oven by starting off the baking at 375 with the convection fan on. You just have to be careful to lower the temp and/or turn off the convection at the right time. And the right time is pretty hard to determine. I usually turn the oven back down to 350 after a few minutes and turn off convection around 12 minutes. I find if the oven isn’t hot enough the cupcakes tend to overflow. But really, you should just bake in batches of 30 to 36 (which is about 1.5 times a normal recipe you see on my blog). The last thing you want after all that work and all those ingredients is a bunch of overflowed cupcakes. A couple is fine – that happens to me and those cupcakes tend to be the taste testers. On that note, always make more than you absolutely need. In this case, I was aiming for a number but had flexibility.
Like I mentioned, I absolutely recommend baking and storing for assembly as close to the event as possible. If you can do it all in one day, great. But for me and perhaps many of you, it’s not possible. With the frostings, I tend to just transfer the frosting into a bowl and wrap well with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. With the cupcakes, I let them cool all the way off then put them back on a sheet pan and wrap that very well with plastic wrap. If you have enough tupperware to store all your cupcakes even better, but I don’t. If you must bake more then 3 to 4 days before the event you can freeze them (I wrap them in plastic wrap in small quantities that can fit in freezer bags) but there will be some dryness after thawing. So I recommend not doing it.

Step 5: Assemble, pack for delivery, unpack and present

I won’t cover assembly much other then watch for cupcake toppers that will work for your event. For example, fresh fruit doesn’t hold up very well. It can dribble juice on your cupcake or start to look old. Candied fruit works as do sugar toppers. I tend to top my cupcakes with something simple that alludes to the flavor of the cupcake, but for some events – like a kids fair – I will do (or purchase) a more typical decoration.
I pack all my cupcakes in cupcake boxes with inserts that have individual holes for each cupcake. I bought the boxes in bulk (about 200 boxes) and it will be a while until I will run out. But many places sell paper or plastic cupcake containers in smaller quantities. I recommend going for a good box as it will help hold them in place and avoid delivery disaster. You will still need to watch for bumps in the road, but not have to worry about sliding. I also stick with disposable boxes for events given I have found it difficult to get my more permanent containers back promptly. Its totally up to you, just pack them carefully so they arrive safely.
Lastly, you may need to think about display. Thankfully there are many sites out there that have both disposable and non-disposable tiered cupcake holders. I also had a vintage, wood cupcake stand that I used for a few events. Usually its a challenge to get more then 30 or so cupcakes on these things, unless they are monstrous. I tend to put what I can on the tiered display and fill out the rest on the table around it. For this event I new I would have a hard time getting anything back given we hadn’t started at the school, so I settled for a something disposable.

Well, that is all that came to mind. If anyone has any questions around something I may have missed, feel free to post it. I might have missed something…

Pink Salt & Pink Pepper Cupcakes

Posted by chockylit in General (Sunday April 11, 2010 at 10:05 am)

These cupcakes sound more challenging to the palate then they are. I think it’s all the chocolate… The foundation of this cupcake includes two basic recipes – chocolate cupcakes and chocolate ganache. I decided to use the low-flour chocolate cupcake recipe I like and to sub out the wheat flour for quinoa flour and make them gluten-free. No one noticed a difference. If you are looking to make gluten-free, this is a great recipe to use. Your gluten-free friends will be very happy.
I really thought this recipe would end up being all concept with no real flavor excitement, but I was wrong. The pink peppercorn cream paired extremely well with the salted toffee. Those two things with the chocolate were just great. A couple of people weren’t into the pepper flavor and just scooped out the filling and ate the rest, but for the most part everyone enjoyed the cupcake. So, I guess whether or not this combination is a challenge to the palate depends on who you are. So far only the wasabi, white chocolate cupcakes I made in 2008 were too much for me…
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
~28 regular-sized cupcakes / 350 degree oven

7 ounces (200 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
3 sticks (343 grams) butter
2-1/4 cups (445 grams) sugar
8 eggs
1-1/4 cups (180 grams) quinoa flour, gluten-free (or all purpose flour for non-gluten free)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour)

1. Chop the chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.
2. Add the butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts and the butter is combined.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4. Measure out the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum (if using) into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together.
5. Transfer the cooled chocolate/butter mixture to the electric mixer and beat for 3 minutes.
6. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 10 seconds between each.
7. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine.
8. Scoop into cupcake cups only 2/3s full. Bake all the cupcakes at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Note: If the oven is not hot enough than these cupcakes may over-flow. One way to be safe is to either fill 2/3′s full or another trick I use is to preheat to 375, then drop the heat to 350 once I put the cupcakes in. I also rotate the pans after 15 minutes of baking. It is safe to gently move them at that point and I find the lower back of my oven to be a bit cooler.
Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate like Valrhona 61% cocao
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Chop chocolate and transfer into the bowl of your standing mixer.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature.
5. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and mix until fluffy.

filled cupcake
Pink Peppercorn Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
pink peppercorn

1. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and whisk until combined.
2. Add grindings of the pepper tasting occasionally until you are happy with it. I made it fairly strong as its a small component to the cupcake and will otherwise get overpowered by the chocolate.

toffee in the making
Salted Toffee

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon water
1 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons large grained salt

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring everything to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. The mixture will start to boil with vigor. Do not stir. Let the mixture boil over medium-low heat until the mixture turns a deep nutty brown, about 20 minutes
3. Pour on to a prepared baking sheet (either covered in a silpat or oiled parchment paper). After a minute or so, sprinkle with salt. I used pink, Hawaiian salt.
4. Leave it to cool.
5. After the toffee has cooled, break it into small chunks.
Note: I like my toffee very dark – almost burnt. Getting the toffee just right for your taste can be a challenge. I think a nutty brown is a good place to start. One additional warning, if you cook it very long you could nearly ruin your pan or at a minimum create bunch of cleanup work for yourself. Don’t use your favorite pot or pan!

salted toffee
Assemble
1. Fill the cooled cupcakes using the cone method.
2. Frost.
3. Top off with the toffee chunks, a little more salt (if desired), and a decoration (if you want).

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Kays Kupcakes Blog

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ABOUT THIS PROJECT

New menu

Moving to Berkley

New Cake Pop Flavor's for Christmas

I love My cake school with Melissa

I fond the best blog for cake pops

Every Day should pop! 365 day of cake pops http://www.365cakepops.com/p/tutorials-halloween-cake-pops.html

Now i thought i was good at cake pops but she is amazing please check out her blog on cake pop!!!!

Tutorials - Halloween Cake Pops

Bridal Gown Blog Review

Cake Decorating class

Cupcake Camp

Peach Hat Pies By Sweetology

The Cupcake Kids

I found this today and i think i am going to have to try this one looks great

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We Jammin

We jammin I think these are the amazing cupcakes

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Sprinkles Cupcake mix

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix

Savor a Sprinkles cupcake from the comfort of your own kitchen! Introducing Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes made from the finest ingredients, including Callebaut cocoa and Nielsen-Massey vanilla, and complete with our trademark modern dot decorations and frosting recipe.

Cupcake recipes

I found these wonderfully recipes on cupcake bakeshop by Chockit and i cant wait to try them.

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Pink Salt & Pink Pepper Cupcakes