WELL DRESSED CUPCAKES

Making a Cupcake Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:54:00 +0000

A request from a friend - "Can you make a Cars Cupcake Cake?" I am not a cake decorator & I have never made a cupcake cake. I had never even seen one & had just recently heard them mentioned. I was not quite sure if I even liked the idea. Of course I googled it and found that they are also called "pull apart cakes." I guess some people want the look of a decorated cake but feel that it's easier as there is no cutting involved. It sounds a little messy to me but this cake is for a little boy who loves "Cars" and his mom is a dear friend of mine.

I originally wanted to arrange the cupcakes in the shape of one of the cars but since the order called for only 20, it would not work. I found a picture and enlarged it to fit on the assembled cake.

The easiest part - baking the cupcakes. I tried a new recipe - using Billy's Bakery Vanilla Cupcake Recipe and this is now my fav! The cupcakes were very light and not too sweet.
I used my usual Vanilla Frosting Recipe which is from Magnolia Bakery.

Once cool, I put a dab of frosting on each cupcake so they would not slide on the board and placed them as close together as possible on the cake board. You want to try and keep the spaces between each cupcake as small as possible so you don't end up wasting a lot of frosting.

Next using a pastry bag, outline the cake with the frosting and then fill in each space between cupcakes. Finally add the rest of the frosting and spread evenly over the cupcakes. Don't worry about the sides. I found cute cupcake wrappers from the Cars Movie and they looked perfect!

Now for the picture.
Take a piece of wax paper and place it over the picture you want on the cake. Tape it down so it will not slide.
Using a pastry bag with a #3 decorators tip, outline the picture using the color you want to decorate with. I used red. Next carefully take the wax paper, position over the cake and place it on top. Gently smooth the outline of the picture onto the cake but do not press too hard as it will smear.

Remember the picture will face in the opposite direction.

You can then take a small star tip and fill in the outline of the picture. I did not do this. I am not a food coloring person and unless I had the natural coloring, which I did not, I really didn't think the kids at the party needed to be eating red food coloring. The outline was perfect and the mom was happy about not using all the color. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned substitutes for this.

I added little sugar Cars I found at Party City and finisihed it off with a "Happy Birthday"

I think it was ok, the kids loved it, the birthday boy was happy and the adults said the cupcakes were delicious!

Let me know what you think!

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Salt River Bars - Interesting!

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:37:00 +0000

Lately I've been seeing a lot of "sweet & salty" recipes. Of course Salt River Bars caught my attention. There are some wonderful blogs out there that describe these delicious little treats. After reading some of them,which are all wonderful blogs, I decided to give them a try.

I made some changes, not on purpose, but partially out of necessity and also by a mistake.

The original recipe called for Saltines. Why, I have no idea, I bought Keebler Crackers. No worries, they tasted great. I was going to bring these to the store I bake for so I needed to use a 9x13 pan. Hmmm change in amounts of ingredients. No problem. I take out my Peanut Butter Chips and realize I bought Butterscotch Chips. Not acceptable! It was late & cold. I had absolutely no interest in heading back out to the store. But I had peanut butter! Never again! Way too much work to spread peanut butter on each individual cracker.

So for those of you who have never made these - try them! It's the combo of sweet and salty that makes me think of a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup but it's crunchy!

Here's what I did
Ingredients
1 Box of Keebler Crackers (I used almost all of the box)
Peanut Butter (do yourself a favor - make that peanut butter chips - 1 package)
Brown Sugar ( I used dark)
Butter - 3 sticks of unsalted
Chocolate ( I used a package of semi sweet chips and 2 blocks of baking chocolate plus 3 tbs of butter) Melt slowly & stir frequently

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (this just makes your life so easy when you cut them)
Melt 3 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. Stir frequently until sugar is disolved and mixture is thick and looks like caramel. It took me about 5 minutes on low heat
While this is melting:
Line the crackers next to each other and cover the bottom of the pan. If you buy the chips, spread some over the crackers. If you use the peanut butter, each would be spread with PNB. I used a little cheese knife. It just made my life a bit easier.
You will be making 3 layers, so divide your ingredients into thirds.
Spread the brown sugar mixture over the crackers & peanut butter.
Repeat this 2 more times.
Place one more layer of crackers on top and finish with the melted chocolate on top. Cool a bit & then sprinkle with coarse salt. I added enough that you could see it, but was careful not to overdo it.
I cut these into 12 bars. People loved them & I will deinitely do this again whith the chips and I might try what the other recipes used - saltines. I do have to say the Keebler Crackers made them even richer. It's up to you! Give them a try and let me know what you think.
Thanks for visiting and hope you'll be back!

Mini CheeseCakes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:28:00 +0000

I recently did a party for a christening. The customer wanted something other than cake. I suggested a platter of mini desserts. What started out as a party for 8 turned into "well, I want some for us after the party!" Brownies, Rasberry Bars, Key Lime Pies which I've already written about and then she requested Mini Cheesecakes. I have a great recipe for a cheesecake but had never done the minis before. I was surprised to see the recipe.

I would recommend using the baking cups which are sturdier and lined with a foil. I found the ones shown in the food store, Reynolds makes them.

The recipe I saw called for a vanilla wafer on the bottom which did not appeal to me so I made the traditional graham cracker crust or you could also crush oreos (delicious)

I ended up making 2 batches as I was not happy with the 1st and made some changes. Our family ate the 1st batch and they were certainly not unhappy!

So here goes:

12 Mini Cheese Cakes
Line a cupcake pan with 12 foil cups
For the crust, measure 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, add 3 tbs of sugar and 3 - 4 tbs of melted butter. Fill each cup with a well rounded tablespoon and press the crumbs into the cup with a spoon.

For the filling you will need 2 packages of cream cheese(softened) please do yourself a huge favor and buy the good stuff (philadelphia) There is a total difference in the consistancy, at least to me there is.

Add 2/3 cup of sugar and mix well until smooth.

Add 2 eggs (room temp) Don't overbeat.

Add 1 tbs of vanilla or if you like lemon extract (as always the real lemon extract)

Fill each cup to the top (the other recipe called for 2/3 full but only do this if you want a topping on each as they tended to sink a bit. You may come up a bit short on batter ( just a friendly warning) so you may have to adjust each filling just a bit.

The recipe called for 15 - 17 min at 350. I don't know how this could be true as when I tested them ( I use a piece of pasta) they were certainly not done. So it ended up being about 25 minutes.

They were absolutely delicious. The recipe I found said they were 95 calories each. You had better add some more calories with the graham cracker crust. I would definitely bake these again and will probably bring some over to the store this week.

Don't be alarmed when the cheesecakes are baking if they start to crack. They come together as they cool.

I'm not a fan of cheesecake toppings such as canned cherries etc but I'm thinking that an oreo crust with a melted chocolate drizzled over each cake would be delicious or a fresh sliced strawberry sounds perfect to me.

Let me know what you think!

Just added to my Etsy Shop!

2011 A Year of Firsts & My Favorite Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:27:00 +0000

2011 was a busy year & also year of many 1st's! So for this post, I'll share some of my favorites and the recipes that came out of them.

Let's start out with my grandson's 1st birthday. I had the honor of making his cake. At that point he loved trucks! I never took sooo much time with any other cake!! I love this little boy:)

Next big 1st was starting the planning for my daughter's baby shower. Another huge 1st and a miracle. No idea boy or girl, so everything was yellow and green. We made it all. Lime green & pom poms (thank you Martha for your tutorials as these were a 1st), Mini Key Lime Pies (another 1st), Cupcakes with Lime Print Pinwheels from my Etsy Shop and the centerpieces, which were daisies saved from their wedding day!

My one failure were the French Macaroons. I have not had the courage to try these again. Still can't figure out the problem.

Next came the hurricane which was probably the worst we've had around here and which made everyone very nervous as the baby was due soon.
This was the 1st time I have ever seen such damage to our beaches and boardwalks.
Hurricane cupcakes came out of this 1st.

Finally, the best 1st of this year- Ellery Jane!

& of course Mini Pink Cupcakes were baked for the store in honor of this tiny perfect little girl!

Most of my recipes in this 2011 blog were 1st's. From whoopie pies to making purple roses until 2 am but nothing can beat the feeling of being "Ama" to two little 1st's in my life!

Happy New Year & looking forward to another year of 1st's!

Let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas to my Mom & Auntie Sweetie - Going Vintage!

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

My 86 year old aunt who I've mentioned before just recently sent me all of her baking equipment. This included a "Wear-Ever Cookie Gun" Probably from the 1960"s & in perfect condition, box & all. I have never used a cookie gun - I thought they were called cookie presses and have seen all different models, made out of plastic and even electric. But this was the old fashioned "metal" gun. As long as I was going vintage, I decided to find a recipe out of my mom's 1950 Goumet Cookbook. I found it. Short & sweet & easy.
Spritz
Cream 1 cup of butter until light & fluffy. Add gradually 1/2 cup of sugar & cream together until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg, mix thoroughly, and add about 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, or enough to make a soft dough which may be forced through a fluted nozzle of a pastry tube into various shapes. Bake the cookies on a lightly butterd sheet in a moderate oven for about 8 minutes, or until very faintly brown.

This is not that much different from any other Spritz recipe I looked at. To fill in some additions. I used unsalted butter, softened and 2 1/2 cups of flour is just right but no more. I did not butter the baking sheets as I have the Calaphon Sheets - no butter needed. Aunt Sweetie did send me her "old fashioned cookie sheets" but I'll stick with mine & no extra butter. A "moderate" oven was 350 & that worked.

I made tiny trees with green sprinkles

and my 2nd batch will have a citrus glaze which I grabbed from Martha Stewart.
Citrus Glaze 3 cups of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs of citrus juice,3 tbs of citrus zest, 1 tbs of vanilla & 3 tbs of light corn syrup. I'm making half with fresh lemon juice and the other half will be lime using "Nellie & Joes Fresh Lime Juice" which is the best!

So although this recipe is nothing fancy or that different, I loved being able to use the cookbook and the cookie press. I will talk to my aunt on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day and think wonderful thoughts about my mom.

Also while searching for the recipe, I came upon a bonus! Years ago one of my sister in laws husband was a baker. Every holiday he would bring a box of "Chocolate Leaves" which the entire family would fight over. They still talk about them. (He's no longer in the picture & doesn't bake anymore) so I am heading to the store for the ingredients and will let you know the result!

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Red Velvet Cupcakes & Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:40:00 +0000

I needed to come up with an idea or a holiday cupcake & really didn't have much time to think about it. These cupcakes were part of an order for my son who needed to bring them to work. I'm not really sure I understood the entire concept but instead of the managers of each department giving gifts to the staff, they decided that each floor manager should bring in 2 desserts, enough for 60 people. He also added that this was a competition and yes, everyone knew he would cheat by asking me. I would have done it anyway as this is a wonderful rehab facility (Kessler Institute) and the staff is unbelievable. They are probably the most caring group I have ever met. He also mentioned the word competition. I swear I am not that competitive but when it comes to baking.....
My criteria - easy to eat, no slicing or cutting & festive. So I ended up with cupcakes! I'm sure you are not surprised. Red Velvet is still going strong at the store I bake for so that was my choice of cake. (see recipe for Red Velvet under postings) I wanted to have some type of Christmas taste to these so peppermint or a candy cane type of look sounded good to me. I started them late & everything was going great until I came to the peppermint. I had not a drop of red food coloring left. Very little hot water and red sugar crystals completely disolved gave me my color. The icing is vanilla (see previous posts for recipe) although you could substitute the mint extract for the vanilla but be careful as the mint is very strong. (always use Pure Extracts) I get mine from the health food store. I added mint to the red icing that I was going to swirl on top of each cupcake. It was just enough flavor for me. As I was not happy with the color of the red, due to the coloring problem, I dusted the tops with red sanding sugar. The result? I like the candy cane look and would deinitely do this again.
My 2nd dessert was Black & White Cookies and for a non chocolate lover, I made some with just vanilla icing and halved them with green and red suggar crystals. No pix, just too late at that point. This recipe is also listed.

Let me know what you think. Would love to hear from you.

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GingerBread Boys & Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:33:00 +0000

I love gingerbread! It's probably one of my favorites. Not too sweet but just enough. This order was for a baby shower with the theme of Ginger Bread Boys! I decided to try a new recipe as I haven't done anything new in awhile. I am going to give you one of 2 recipes. The new one produced a softer gingerbread cookie and not as spicy. Next time I will add a bit more spices. My recipe that I have used every year will give you a harder cookie which I prefer. I'll post this next week. Either way - they're both delicious and a perfect way to dress up your holiday cupcakes!

GingerBread Men (mini) 48 cookies
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons water
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
5. Cool & pipe frosting of your choice

I used a mix of powdered sugar and milk to get the consistance I wanted. Start with 2 cups of powdered sugar and add a tbs. of milk at a time.

This little gingerbread cookie cutter is just about 2" tall. I love it as it was given to me by my Aunt Sweetie who loves to bake. Perfect name for my favorite aunt!

If you have a chance, stop my my Etsy Shop and take a peek at some of my Christmas/Holiday items! http://welldressedcupcakes.etsy.com
Convo me and get 10% your order, just mention this blog!

Purple Roses for My Little Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:39:00 +0000

How long has it been since a post? A few reasons. A new baby girl which is the best reason and no time to bake any new recipes due to specific requests. People seem to just want the basic cupcake flavors recently. I did just have one request for devils food cupcakes but they required purple roses on top of each cupcake. (the school symbol) I have taken decorating classes long, long ago but was never really that great at it. I always tell people "I'm not a decorator" So I really hesitated to say yes. Having no recollection of my rose making techniques, I headed over to you tube and found "many" videos. There were only 4,320,000 results in just 76 seconds! I know that you are supposed to make decorator frosting but I have to say I just added additional powdered sugar and the frosting was fine. I used Wilton Violet Coloring. They have just about every color and then finished the decorating with purple dust (also by wilton)which really looked pretty. A lot of the videos were for roses large enough to cover the entire cupcake but I made them much smaller. I was nervous about this order and of course critical of the results but just got a call yesterday for another order of purple rose cupcakes for their Awards Dinner as everyone loved them!

I am trying a new recipe for next week and can't wait! Pumpkin Angel Food Cupcakes! Will let you know.....

My Etsy Shop has been keeping me busy, lots of custom orders, which I really enjoy. Take a look at my shop if you have a minute, Lots of holiday items. My latest order is to Egypt!!

Calling all Pumpkin Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Pumpkin. One of my favorites. So far I've made pumpkin bars, muffins, bread & pie. So why not pumpkin buttercream for little cakes? It's easy and simple. Just make a regular buttercream frosting. See my previous post on this and add 3 or more tbs of pumpkin. I like the Libby's Pumpkin Pie mix as it has more flavor. You may have to add a bit more powdered sugar to keep the correct consistency. I used this on my mini cupcakes this week and also made Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies with pumpkin buttercream filling. The result was delicious. The color of the buttercream was a pale pumpkin color & you could always add more pumpkin along with sugar but not too much as you will spoil the consistency. This is worth trying. Let me know what you think.

380 Cupcakes Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:08:00 +0000

I wish I had a recipe to share with you this week but I honestly had not a minute to even think of something new. I had weddings the past two weekends to bake for and after 380 cupcakes and 3 wedding cake toppers, that was it.
I loved the brides and grooms from both weekends. They were so easy going and just so happy. Both wanted a mix of cupcakes which I love to do and both were identical with their cake top requests. Half chocolate, half vanilla with vanilla icing. The 1st couple had a bride and groom on a motorcycle for their cake topper and this week's couple had beautiful fall colored roses.

So what did I bake? Chocolate and Vanilla Cakes with a variety of frosting flavors. Almost forgot Red Velvet. Strawberry Buttercream, Oreo Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Frosting, Funfetti (yes funfetti - the groom's fav) which was my version of Funfetti!

Take a look and let me know what you think!

Apple Crumb Cupcakes - Is it a Cupcake or a Muffin?

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:32:00 +0000

It's apple season! I saw this recipe and knew it would be delicious. We just had these for dessert tonight with steaming hot cups of green tea, honey & lemon. But these little cakes will be perfect for breakfast tomorrow. The recipe did not have crumbs &this last minute addition was perfect. Try this recipe. It's easy, quick & one you will make again and again during apple season. I found this on MyRecipes.com which has enough treats to keep me busy for awhile!

Ingredients
2 apples (I used ones that were for baking) chopped
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
3/4 tsp of baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Confectioners' Sugar

Preheat oven to 350
12 cup muffin pan ( I did not use liners as called for in the recipe. I lightly greased and floured the muffin pans)

Peel and chop 2 apples
Melt the butter in a pan and add the apples
Cook for 5 minutes on low heat and then stir in the light brown sugar.
Cool for 5 minutes

Mix the flour, walnuts and baking soda in a bowl
In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla

Stir the apple mixture and egg mixture into the flour mix. (Do not overmix as the cakes will become tough)

Spoon into cupcake pans about 3/4 full.

For the crumb mixture measure 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and a tbs of cinnamon. Add 3 -4 tbs of melted butter and mix into a crumb topping. Add as desired to cupcake batter.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes

Cool and dust with powdered sugar

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

One more thing! As you can see on my sidebar, I have an Etsy Shop where I sell cupcake supplies. I usually do not talk about this in my posts as these are for recipes! I catered a wedding this weekend and made these wrappers, matching the bride's color scheme. I just loved the colors and the way they turned out. Just had to post a picture. Thanks for looking!

French Almond Tart Cupcakes for Donsumor’s “Dessert a Day" National Dessert Month

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:36:00 +0000

I decided to participate in Donsuemor’s “Dessert a Day" after receiving an email regarding this product and National Dessert Month in October. I was given several choices of Donsuemor's Products and I chose the French Almond Cake. The task was to create some kind of dessert with these little French Almond Cakes. First I have to say these little cakes are delicious. They come in the shape of little tarts with a nice almond flavor. So what to do with them? Of course I had to use them with my cupcakes and finally made my decision. I would make a vanilla cupcake with almond extract. Using a quality extract is important to me & I use Watkins All-Natural Pure Almond Extract. These extracts are free of artificial coloring and are my favorites. The tart would be sliced into 2 parts. The bottom would be about 1/3 of the tart and the rest would be used for the top.
The result was absolutely delicious. No need for icing or frosting. The bottom part fit perfectly into a cupcake liner, I then added the cupcake batter and placed the top of the tart on the batter. I was curious to see what happened with the tart. It came out perfectly. The bottom of the cupcake was slightly more dense with the addition of the almond cake bottom and the top which has sliced almonds looked and tasted wonderful.
I would definitely use this recipe again. Anyone who loves the taste of almonds will love this.

Start out with your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. I use Magnolia's Vanilla. I've tried many vanilla cupcake recipes and I keep going back to this one. Just substitute the almond for the vanilla extract. Don't forget my recommendation about the extract. It is not worh your time to use artificial extracts.

You will need

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (I use Presto)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
12 Donsuemor’s French Almond Cakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.

Slice 12 Donsuemor’s French Almond Cakes (1/3 for the bottom, remaining cake for the top)

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and almond extract. With each addition, beat until mixed in but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
Take the bottom portion of the Almond Cake and place in the bottom of each cupcake liner.
Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
Place the top of the almond cake on the batter

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes, then remove from the tins and cool

Additions for those who love chocolate - melt Baker's Chocolate (unsweetened) and drizzle over the top of each cupcake.

Rasberry Lovers - Split the top part of the almond cake and place a reasberry in between each half.

The possibilities are endless. Give it a try. Well worth it!

Espresso Buttercream Devil's Food Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 21:17:00 +0000

No post last week due to a small miracle added to our family last week. Ellery Jane is finally here and she's beautiful! While we were in the city, I saw cupcake trucks

and visited several cupcake stores. Magnolia was my favorite. I went to the NY store on the east side. A shop to visit. Wood floors, curtains and little tables made this place the best. A great place for a cappacino and a cupcake! I even ate a cupcake which I usually don't do! I picked Vanilla/Vanilla with tiny pink sprinkles in honor of Ellery Jane. Most of the stores seemed to focus on vanilla, chocolate and red velvet. Some had variations with the frosting just as I do.
So back to baking. I have 3 parties this weekend. I'll write about the store order today. Pumpking Bars are in season so I made one tray of them and moved on to cupcakes. As the store doesn't really like different types of cake, I need to change up the icing each week. So this week a jar of espresso coffee caught my attention and I went with it. The result was delicious! I think I may have to say it's my favorite. At least for this week!

Espresso Buttercream

2 sticks of unsalted butter (softened)
6 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
1/3 cup of whole milk
Medglia D'oro Instant Espresso Powder

In a bowl, mix the butter, sugar and 1/3 cup of milk for 4 minutes until smooth.
Gradually add the additional cups of sugar.
Now for the espresso. Take a tbs of espresso and mix with a very small amount of hot water until disolved.
Add 2 tsp of this to the buttercream.
You will have to play around with the amount of espresso powder used but do not make it too watery as it will thin your icing out.
The result is a light mocha colored frosting with the espresso flavor. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle a tiny amount of espresso on top of each.

Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Bars! Is it a Dessert,a Breakfast Bar or a Snack?

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 03:24:00 +0000

This week I made stuffed devils food cupcakes, half with vanilla, half with chocolate but needed to bake something else for the store.

My favorite recipe that does not involve cupcakes is Pumpkin Bars. This is easy, pretty healthy and delicious. Breakfast, Dessert, Snacktime - they are good any time of day.

Pumpkin Bars
2 cups of Flour
1 1/2 cups of Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cloves (if you don't have this, try pumpkin pie spice)
1 can of Pumpkin 16oz (I like the Libbys Pumpkin Pie Mix but you can use either that or just regular Pumpkin. The bars with the mix are a little darker in color. I just prefer this)
1 c Oil
4 Beaten Eggs
1 cup of Walnuts or Raw Pumpkin Seeds (I get them in the health food store but these can usually be found in the supermarket)

Preheat oven to 350
Mix dry ingredients together well
In a seperate bowl, beat the eggs (room temp please) oil & pumpkin
Add to the dry mix and blend on low speed by mixer or by hand. Don't overbeat, just make sure all the dry mix is completely blended in.

Line a 10x13x1" pan with parchment paper (it just makes your life so much easier)
Spread mix onto pan.
Sprinkle pumpkin seeds or walnuts on top.
You can also add to mix if you would like more nuts or seeds
Bake for approximately 25 - 30 min or until tester comes out clean

Cut into squares.
You should be able to have a yield of 24 squares.
Would love to show a pix of the pumpkin bars cut but these are heading out to the store so what you see is still cooling in the pan!

Let me know what you think
Hmmmm next week these just might be cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting!

Labor Day Raspberry Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:19:00 +0000

"Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events."

Now for my definition. Labor Day = End of Summer

I don't like that at all. I feel like it was just Memorial Day and I certainly have not yet recovered enough from last winter. I do love Fall and if I could just find a place that cycled those two seasons, I'd be just fine. I love to see what other people are doing with their cupcakes for Labor Day so again I googled "Labor Day Cupcakes" & up popped cupcakes that looked like corn on the cob, hamburgers, red, white & blue etc. None of which particulary motivated me. I'm thinking....
I went to the Farmer's Market today & bought beautiful organic produce. Tomatos, Green Beans & Peaches. Sitting here looking at them on the counter gave me my idea of what to bake. I had frozen some organic raspberries so why not make raspberry vanilla cupcakes with raspberry buttercream? I had to give it a try. The result? I LOVE them! I just tried one stright out of the oven.

The flavor has a hint of raspberry blended with the vanilla and the raspberry icing will finish it off perfectly. Mini raspberry colored cupcake wrappers were in my cabinet - what luck!

I used my vanilla cupcake recipe and after crushing the frozen raspberries, I folded them into the batter. I really did not add alot of raspberries, maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup. I was afraid of what would happen to the batter. I also think the next time I am going to try raspberry extract. I found a site online to order from which was recommended by a "real" baker. You can find it at olivenation.com Do NOT use imitation extracts. You can tast it immediately. It's worth the extra cost.

It's late so I will post more pictures tomorrow after I make the buttercream. So stop back!
Let me know what you think.

Happy Labor Day

Mixing it Up! My Hurricane Irene Cupcake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:47:00 +0000

When I googled "hurricane cupcake" I did not really expect to find anything. There it was, a recipe for hurricane cake. I did not like all the ingredients in the recipe so I am changing it a bit. I'm leaving out the cream cheese - I don't have it anyway and adding frosting. Was not thrilled with the look of the real recipe. Haven't made them yet but after this post, heading into the kitchen in case we lose power. Pix to follow! So here goes:

You'll need:

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut & additional 1/2 cup of coconut

Chocolate Cake Recipe see previous post)

Melt the butter & mix in the chopped pecans and coconut
Spread into each cupcake liner, fill 1/2 the liner with cake batter, sprinkle some additional coconut /pecan mix and then add the remaining batter. Bake at 350 until done by testing. Probably about 15 -18 min.

Your choice: chocolate or vanilla frosting. Recipes are in previous posts. I'm going with chcoclate. Toast the coconut lightly in the oven and fold into the frosting.

I think this will taste delicious! It will satisfy my chocoholics!

Stay Safe! Let me know what you think!

If you're interested in the original recipe, here's the link

Nothing Better than Blueberry Crumb Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:10:00 +0000

After a very long week with so many things going on & just feeling a bit overwhelmed, I thought about making a "comfort food." I had just the right recipe & I knew my family would like it. But my main reason for baking this was to give as a gift. A gift to my friend whose daughter was getting marrried. I thought it would be easy and something for them to eat quickly when they were running around getting ready and to jump start their morning. But my main reason was beause I wanted to do something. Two summers ago, this girl's dad passed away. Her mom is one of my best friends. I know how hard things can be & the emotions you fly through. It's not easy and this comes from the experience of losing my dad 3 months before I was married. As I said in my last post, old habits die hard and as I was in the business of "helping" I wanted to do something to just show I was thinking of them. I knew my friend would understand. So 1st a definition of comfort food as I always don't automatically think of desserts as in this category.

"Comfort food is food prepared traditionally that may have a nostalgic or sentimental appeal.[1] Comfort foods may be foods that have a nostalgic element either to an individual or a specific culture.[citation needed] Many comfort foods are flavorful and easily eaten, having soft consistencies.

One recent development, as chefs have explored the roots of American cuisine and tried to define it as a unique style, is the advent of fine dining comfort food restaurants that feature more careful cooking and presentation, higher quality and fresh organic ingredients, along with consequently higher prices.[2]"

I do have to say that this is the BEST Blueberry Crumbcake Recipe. I don't make it often but there is never a crumb left after I finish. Make this one, it's worth it!

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Preheat oven to 350, use a sheet pan 13x9 & line with parchemt paper (it makes it so much easier to remove)
Ingredients
3 cups of sifted flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temp
2 cups of sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or any flavor you like
Blueberries - Pint

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter till smooth and add sugar till light and smooth
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Put the mixer on low speed and alternately add the flour and milk, ending with the flour.
Add in the vanilla or lemon if you prefer

Spread in pan and start the timer once in the oven for about 15 min.

The Best Part - The Crumbs!
NOW start melting s sticks of margerine and 1 stick of butter
Add 1 tsp of vanilla & cool in a large bowl.
In a bowl, measure 4 cups of flour, (maybe a bit less) 2-3 tbs of cinnamon (I usually add a bit more) and a dash of salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter and mix together. Do not reverse this and add butter to flour mix. I swear it comes out differently!
You will have to mix this really well untill large crumbs begin to form. (not powdery crumbs) This takes awhile - stick with it.

Now check you cake. When you see the sides starting to firm up, you can add the crumbs. Don't wait too long as you want some of the crumb mixture to fall into the cake and not just sit on top. If you add too soon, you will have the batter spilling over the sides so just place a cookie sheet under this pan just in case! This just takes practice to get the right time butno worries if it's too soon as you will be dusting the top with powdered sugar. But you don't want them all to sink! Add the blueberries on top
Continue baking until tester comes out clean. Cool. Flip onto a cookie sheet, puul off the parchment and flipp back onto your serving palte. Generously sift powdered sugar on top. Enjoy!

In Memory ...

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:09:00 +0000

This post will have absolutely nothing to do with cupcakes or recipes. It is not about political views. It's about a life. A life of a 23 year that ended way to soon. I 1st met Nick as a 6th grader & as his counselor followed him through 8th grade. He was one of those kids that years later stands out in you mind. Not a mean bone in his body, just a typical likeable, middle school kid who could sometimes drive his teachers crazy. Moving on to the high school, he became an athlete and he came back to the middle school around junior year to work at the school a each week. I can still see him talking to his coach each day in the hallway when they had duty. Still a great kid but so much more grown up. Move on to post HS graduation and all of a sudden he was substituting. He would always come in and say hi, wave... the same old Nick. I retired from school & didn't know he had enlisted. On Saturday I picked up the paper and read about this young man who I have known since he was 11. He was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. Coming from a helping profession, where I was always trying to "fix" things is frustrating as there is no fixing this. But I feel I need to do something so if you're reading this, say a prayer or think a thought for this young man who gave his life for his country. Thank you Nick.

Summertime Key Lime Buttercream & Coffee Frostings

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:09:00 +0000

Two new frostings this week!
First - Key Lime Buttercream which I have been wanting to try for a long time. So easy....
Ingredients
8 tbs of unsalted butter at room temp
3-4 tbs of Nellie & Joes Key West Lime Juice
or you could use a fresh lime
Zest of a lime (2 tsp)
5 cups of sifted confectioners sugar

Beat the butter and lime juice in a bowl and then add the sugar gradually. Start with just 2 tbs of lime juice and add gradually.

The recipe I saw added coconut to the tops of the cupcakes which were vanilla.
I'm pairing this frosting with a devils food cupcake. Yes the frosting is white and no I will not be putting food coloring in. But I did give in and sprinkled some pale green sugar crystals on them. For the store - I will be posting a little sign as I don't want people to think they're biting into a vanilla cupcake!
The results? I liked this a lot. It was tangy and I would add a bit more lime zest the next time. I would have loved to have added the coconut but maybe next time. I just need to introduce these new flavors slowly.....
Almost forgot - this frosted just about 18 mini cupcakes but I pipe a LOT of frosting on each little cake.

Next on the menu is Coffee Buttercream

10 tbs of butter at room temp
1 tbs of milk at room temp
2 tsp of instant espresso disolved in a small amount of water and cooled
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
In a bowl mix all the ingredients until smooth gradually adding the sugar.
The results for #2? I love this frosting & think it would be great on a chocolate or vanilla cupcake. Mmmmmm with a glass of Iced Coffee! (if you are reading this Erin - you owe me one the next time you visit!)
A pix tomorrow of this...

Let me know if you try either of these and what you think.

Chocolate Lovers Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:36:00 +0000

I promised the recipe for chocolate frosting. I even like it and as I've said, chocolate is not #1 on my list. I use this for my 4 layer cake and also my cupcakes. It's easy and quick.
This recipe will frost a 4 layer cake or 45-50 cupcakes.
you'll need:
1 cup of Butter
1 1/3 cups of unsweatened Cocoa Powder (Hersheys is more expensive but the best)

Confectioners Sugar (about 8 cups)
1 cup of milk
1/4 tsp of Espresso Coffee powder

1 tbs Vanilla

Melt the butter slowly and then add the cocoa powder
Turn off the heat and while cooling add the espresso

Pour the chocolate into a bowl and when cooled gradually add the confectioners sugar and milk to give you the consistancy you like.
Add the vanilla

That's it! The coffee gives it that little bit of something extra.

Would love comments, questions and for you to follow
Will post a picture of the chocolate cake tomorrow when I'm done.

A Chocolate Lovers Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:49:00 +0000

I'm not really a chocolate person but my family is, my friends are, the people who order from me are.... chocolate lovers! So a few posts ago I was searching for the perfect vanilla cake and went from one recipe to the next so here I am again, never satisfied and always looking for the Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe. I personally think the frosting is the key to all of this chocolate addiction but you be the judge!

I am working on a couple of recipes but this week I will give you one from my favorite cookbook. A 1950 edition - The Gourmet Cookbook.

My Mom's.

I love everything about this. Each section has beautiful drawings and descriptions.

So onto page 629 "La Patisserie" To quote "First among the fine arts of the kitchen is la patisserie, & possible the most ancient of them, dating back to times when angry pagan gods could be appeased with sweet cakes" Hmmm... I love to bake but only to make family and friends and customers happy. But desserts have been around a long time and aren't going anywhere. For those of you who says they don't eat sugar, are on a diet, never eat dessert, Just Stop & appease yourself with a piece of cake!

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Layer Cake copied exactly!

Sift 2 scant cups sifted flour with 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder and a pinch of salt. Cream 1/2 cup of butter, add 1 1/2 cups sugar gradually and blend until light and creamy. Add 4 well beaten egg yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add 4 square of bitter chocolate, melted, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the sifted flour mixture, alternately with a scant 1 1/2 cups of milk. Beat until well blended. Beat 4 egg whites until stiff but not too dry, gradually fold in 1/2 cup sugar and fold this into batter. Pour into 2 well buttered pans and bake in a moderate oven for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool the cakes on a cake rack and frost.

Let's modernize this just a bit! Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 8-9" pans with parchment paper. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Use whole milk & unsalted butter. Check the cakes after 25 minutes and turn in oven if necessary. You know your own oven. After completely cooled I slice each layer in half so you have a 4 layer cake. Much much better than a 2 layer cake. Don't be afraid to slice each cake in half, just make sure it is completely cooled. It's easier the next day.

I'll add the frosting recipe later. It's getting late.

let me know what you think! I used this for one of my wedding cake tops

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Heat Wave Key Lime Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:05:00 +0000

I just abandoned my blog post about the Best Chocolate Cake Quest. I just finished baking one for a restaurant I bake for but who honestly wants to bake right now? The temperature is 102 and I'm sure it's hotter than that. Heat or no heat, people still need something sweet so I'm thinking something cool, refreshing, slightly sweet, slightly tart = Key Lime Pie. (my version) I know some true bakers will shudder when they read the recipe but this Key Lime recipe is easy, cool and delicious! My sister in law gave me this recipe after nicely speaking to the chef from a restaurant in the Florida Keys. (Thank you Kim!) So if this is served in the Fllorida Keys, it has to be good!
In the picture above, you'll see Mini Key Lime Pies. I found some cute yellow and frilly cupcake liners that were a bit sturdier than most. They were a hit at last week's baby shower. I took them out right before the dessert buffet began and used my cupcake stand.

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crumbs or if you like Chocolate, use those little dark chocolate wafers. (crushed)
Cool Whip (large container & not the lite version)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
**** Nellie and Joes Famous Key West Lime Juice (do not use anything else)
1 fresh lime

Make a crust for the bottom of a pie pan
In a mixing bowl, add the Cool Whip, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Fill that same can 3/4 full with the lime juice and fold together.
Add some grated lime zest to this
Fold into the pie dish
Place in freezer
Top each piece with a slice of lime

Enjoy!

A Special Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:06:00 +0000

No post last Friday. I was too busy getting ready for my daughter's baby shower. Decorations and desserts were my jobs. Lime green, yellow & white were the colors & we just went from there. I got so busy I didn't get pictures of everything but hopefully someone else did! I started out with the lime color in mind and made mini pinwheels for the cupcakes. Next found lime colored sugar crystals to finish them off.

I made minis which gave everyone a chance to try more than one treat.

Next: sugar cookies/baby carriages. I decided to decorate the cookies with royal icing and found a great tutorial which made things so easy.
Advice! Next time I will start the decorating earlier as I didn't realize there was a wait time between flooding the icing and then adding more colors to decorate the details.

Sur la Table has great mini cookie cutter, all shapes, all themes and most are only $1.00.

Decorations - pom poms in lime and white along with tiny white lights were perfect. These were so easy. Head over to Martha Stewart for directions. The only thing I did differently was use 12 pieces of tissue rather than the 8 she suggested. I used fishing line & this worked just as well as her suggestions.

Target had the best selection of table settings. I found tablecloths, baby plates,cups, solid lime and yellow dinner plates and napkins, even the silverware all in one aisle!

Centerpieces were mason jars, with leaves covering the inside and green hydrageneas and white daisies. These flowers were from my daughter;s wedding almost 3 years ago!! I finished each one with a green or yellow plaid bow. Mason Jars & ribbon also from Michaels!

Favors! a last minute decision but we found these cute little flower boxes at Michaels. Inside we had filled little plastic bags (also Michaels) with jelly beans - pear and coconut. Perfect colors!

Back to the desserts. I also dipped strawberries in chocolate.

We set up a dessert buffet, the same as dinner and also had iced coffee with little green & white stripe straws which I found on Etsy. I also made mini Key Lime Pies and will have to ask someone for a pix. A great recipe which I will share soon.

Limeade in a great serving jug I found at marshalls was served throughout the night!

Now for the one disaster. I was determined to make French Macaroons. In green & pink. They were last on my list and it was getting late. 1am. I ground up the almonds

Mixed with the flour

Folded that into my perfect eggs whites and added coloring

Drew circles on the parchment paper and using a candy bottle, Filled in each circle with batter. They looked great!! & I was excited. I had done iit! Into the oven

Started the timer. There will be no more pictures as here is what went wrong. I was tired, it was 1:30 am and I quickly looked at the oven temp, d170 degrees. Kind of thought it was funny but I had never made these so.... what was I thinking?? After the proper time I checked and things did not look good. They looked the same, maybe just a bit bigger. So yes, I forgot that this was given to me in C and If I had really looked at the recipe I would have seen the correct temp in degrees F!

So I will do macarons again with the correct temp. at some point in the future. I just need some time to get over this!!

But no worries as everyone seemed to have a great time and planning this was just the best!

I Called it a Blueberry Cobbler!

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Cobbler,Buckle,Crisp,Crumble,Pandowdy,Grunt,Betty....STOP! For how many years have I been calling this favorite dessert a cobbler? No one has ever questioned me and why should they? It's so good, who cares? I've kind of known all along it wasn't right and never had a reason to change but now that I am writing a recipe on this blog - I need to correct myself. I have to admit, I like the way Blueberry Cobbler sounds rather than Blueberry Crisp so I probably won't change the name around this house. So let's get started. First the definitions!

•Buckle: A dessert combining fresh fruit, a rich cake batter, and a streusel topping. It is often compared to a coffee cake.
•Cobbler: A dessert of fresh fruit baked in a deep dish and topped with a biscuity crust. Usually also sprinkled with sugar.
•Crumble: A dessert of fresh fruit baked with a crumbly pastry mixture.
•Crisp: A deep-dish fruit dessert made with a crumb or streusel topping and baked.

So here goes - my recipe for Blueberry Cobbler - I mean Crisp!

9X13 Glass Dish
4 Cups of Flour
4 Cups of Sugar (I have changed it to 2 Cups of White Sugar and 2 Cups of Brown Sugar
4 sticks of Salted Butter
Cinnamon to your taste
4 pints of fresh blueberries

*Butter the bottom of the glass dish
*Rinse and dry fresh blueberries. I just used 3 pints but 4 is better.
*Mix the flour, butter,cinnamon and sugars together with your hands. This is important - you have to have patience and work this mixture really well until it begins to come together. If you stop blending too early, the mixture will be powdery and you won't get the best part - the crumbs!

*Bake at 350 until top begins to brown. You can serve this over ice cream but we are just as happy with a bowl filled with what just came out of the oven!

Enjoy!

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Dreaming of Macarons

noreply@blogger.com (Well Dressed Cupcakes) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:23:00 +0000

July 4th is here.

I have a LOT of orders for this weekend

which doesn't give me time to try what I had planned. French Macarons! I will admit, yet once again I have bought another cookbook but this one is special. It's all about macarons. I have never attempted them & this post will give a recipe for a future attempt. I have to admit. I'm a bit nervous. These little cookies have always intrigued me. I need to do this.

Macarons by Annie Rigg with photography by Kate Whitaker looks delicious! There are recipes for just about every flavor and color macaron out there. So here is one recipe I plan to use. I need to do a trial run as these will be at my daughter's baby shower. Hopefully she is not reading this! I like the pink and green shells with rasberry jam & whipped cream, rasberry & passion fruit, coconut & mango and hazelnut & chocolate and so many more.
So many to choose from so here is the recipe for Basic Macarons. I'd better master this first! Anyone with a great recipe? Would love to hear from you. I'll let you know how they turn out! With pictures!

Basic Macarons
1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
2/3 cup of ground almonds
1/2 cup of egg whites (abou3 eggs)
pinch of salt
3 tbs of superfine sugar
piping bag fitted with 1/2" nozzle
2 baking sheets lined with parchment

1. Put the almonds and conf. sugar in a bowl and blend for 30 sec.
2. Put the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl& dry bowl. Add the salt & beat until they hold a stiff peak. (use a whisk)
3. Contine to whisk at medium speed while adding the superfine sugar a tsp at a time. Mix well inbetween each addition. The mixture should be thick, white and glossy.
4. Add food coloring if needed at this point
5. Using a large spoon, fold the sugar and almond mixture into the egg whites.
This can take up to one minute. The mixture should be smooth. It will be ready when you can drop the mixture from a spoon into a molten mass.
6. Fill the piping bag and pipe eavenly sized rounds about 2" across onto prepared baking sheets
7. Tap the bottom of the baking sheets sharply 1x to expel any large bubbles.
8. Leave the macarons for at least 15 minutes and up to one hour until they have set and formed a dry shell. They should not be sticky when tested with your fingertip.
9. Preheat oven to 325
10. Bake the macarons on the middle shelf for 10 minutes. The tops should be crisp and the bottoms dry. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.