Kelly's Konfections

Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:58:00 +0000

I'm making these muffins before tomorrow's outing. We've had some early mornings, and we'll have two more. I think chocolate chip muffins are the perfect remedy for jet lag, hangovers, homesickness, and being up way too early :)
These muffins are super easy, and you probably already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry! The sugar crust on top adds an extra sweet twist.

Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Chip Muffins

Courtesy of Simply Scratch
Yield: One dozen regular-sized muffins, or 2-3 dozen minis
Ingredients:
Sugar- 1/2 c + 3 tbsp set aside (for sugar crust)
Brown sugar- 2 tbsp (for sugar crust)
Flour- 2 c
Baking powder- 1 tbsp
Kosher salt- 1/2 tsp
Milk- 1 c
Grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil- 1/3 c
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Egg- 1
Mini Semi-sweet chocolate chips- 3/4 c
Directions:
1. Mix 3 tbsp sugar and the brown sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine rest of sugar, flour, baking powder, chocolate chips and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, grapeseed oil and milk. Pour into flour mixture and mix by hand until incorporated.
4. Fill cups 2/3 full and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes (times vary by oven, check yours at 15 minutes- minis should be done after ~10).

Serve with a glass of cold milk!
Enjoy!

Graduation Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:29:00 +0000

On Monday, my best friend graduated from college.

Me & Cat in high school

I'm not gonna brag about her too much, but she's kind of super smart. Like, graduating with honors and having international schools fight over you kind of smart.
I couldn't be there because I was getting ready to leave for London. So I did the next best thing: I sent cookies!!!
These cookies are really, really good. I'm not big into cut out and decorate cookies but these are top-notch.

BC's caps are boring black, so I used their school colors instead

Bridget at Bake at 350 is incredible. She is a cookie decorating PRO. Please, please do yourselves a favor and head over to her site. Totally mind-blowing!
Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies
Courtesy of Bake at 350
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour- 3 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Sugar- 1 c
Salted butter- 1 c (2 sticks, cold and cut into chunks)
Egg- 1
Pure vanilla extract- 3/4 tsp
Pure almond extract- 1/2 tsp
Directions:
1. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, and set aside.
2. Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, vanilla and almond and beat.
3. Gradually add flour mix and beat until just combined. Knead dough together as you scoop it out of the bowl.
4. Roll dough on a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Bridget's Royal Icing
Ingredients:
Meringue powder- 4 tbsp
Water- scant 1/2 c (a little less than full)
Powdered sugar- 4 c (1 lb)
Light corn syrup- 1/2-1 tsp (to make it shiny)
Clear extract- 1/2-1 tsp (I used almond and it was delicious!)
Directions:
1. Combine meringue powder and water in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until combined and foamy.
2. Sift in powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Yes, you really do have to sift this time. Use a sieve if you don't want to mess with a super irritating sifter.)
3. Add light corn syrup and extract. Beat on medium high/high for ~5 minutes just until stiff peaks form. (Yes, you really do have to beat for 5 minutes.)
For detailed, illustrated instructions, check out Bridget's page: Royal Icing 102

CONGRATULATIONS, CAT!!!!!!

Europe is in for a serious 1-2 punch. Take cover!!! :D

Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:09:00 +0000

Another entry in the "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" files :)
I love strawberries. Looooove them. I'm allergic to a lot of fruits, but not berries.

My mom's birthday request is always strawberry shortcake. I'll be in London on her birthday, so I decided to make strawberry pie for Mother's Day! The pie part didn't work out great, so I made these yummy biscuits and called it shortcake!

Me & my mom at my high school graduation :)

These biscuits are probably better for dinner, but we loved them nonetheless.
The strawberry mix would be delicious on top of ice cream, pound cake, brownies, even as cake filling! The possibilities really are endless with these babies.

Did anyone else watch Strawberry Shortcake as a kid? I LOVED that show. Apparently I always called the main character Strawberry Shortcakie, so that's what I'm gonna call these :)

Strawberry Shortcakies
Strawberry Topping
Adapted from The Nifty Foodie
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries- 4 pints (~3 lbs), gently rinsed, dried, and hulled
Sugar- 3/4 c
Cornstarch- 2 tbsp
Sure-Jell (liquid)- 1 1/2 tsp
Table salt- a generous pinch
Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Cool Whip (for topping)
Directions:
1. Pick through your strawberries and choose ~6 oz worth of the ugliest ones- misshapen, squashed, under-ripe, etc. Halve the large ones. Use a food processor or blender to puree the berries ~30 seconds. This should leave you with 3/4 c of pureed berries.
2. Combine pureed berries, sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell and salt in a medium sized saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
3. Bring mix to a full boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan multiple times.
4. Take mix off the stove and stir in lemon juice. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
5. Pick through remaining strawberries and choose 2 lbs of the prettier berries. Halve the large ones.
6. Add the berries to the cooled strawberry mix and fold gently to coat. Let cool ~1-2 hours. Serve over warm biscuits with a dollop of Cool Whip.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Courtesy of The New York Times, via Food People Want
Yield: a LOT of biscuits, depending on the size of your biscuit cutter (at least 2 dozen 3")
Note: these steps have to be done one right after the other, so make sure you have all your ingredients out and measured before you start!
Ingredients:
Cream of tartar- 1 tbsp
Baking soda- 1 1/2 tsp
All-purpose flour- 5 c, plus more as needed
Kosher salt- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Lard or unsalted butter- 1/2 c + 2 tbsp (1 stick + 2 tbsp), chilled and cut into pieces
Cultured buttermilk- 2 c, chilled
Unsalted butter- 3 tbsp, melted (for brushing on biscuits afterward)
Directions:
1. Make your own baking powder by combining cream of tartar and baking soda in a large bowl (makes biscuits with lots of lift).
2. Add flour and salt. Add lard/butter and quickly toss the pieces with the flour and rub together. The pieces should be coarsely blended and look like large peas.
3. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Mix ingredients together until mixture just comes together. Add 1-2 tbsp more buttermilk if it seems dry.
4. Turn out the dough onto a generously floured surface and knead about 10 times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out a thickness of 3/4 inch.
5. Dip a fork in flour and pierce dough at half inch intervals. Stamp out biscuits using a 2 1/2 or 3" biscuit cutter. (The recipe recommends fluted, but my straight edged ones worked fine.)
6. Arrange biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 500 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter.

Note: for dessert biscuits, use just 1 tsp of salt, and sprinkle some sugar on top before baking.

Enjoy!

Chewy, Fudgy Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:39:00 +0000

These brownies are perfect! People have different brownie preferences, and I like 'em chewy and fudgy... But sometimes I like 'em cakey. These are fudgy! And super easy!

Taken at my parents' house, their kitchen windowsill is perfect!

Even yummier with mint chocolate chip ice cream!

This will be a short post, I've got a huuuge to-do list before I leave for London in... 11 DAYS! Yeee!

Chewy Fudgy Brownies

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Yield: ~9 brownies, depending on how you cut 'em (I think little brownies are dumb, so I cut 'em big)

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter- 10 tbsp (1 stick + 2 tbsp)

Sugar- 1 1/4 c

Unsweetened cocoa powder- 3/4 c + 2 tbsp (Dutch process or Natural is fine)

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Large eggs- 2, cold

Flour- 1/2 c

*optional* Walnuts or pecans- 2/3 c (I HATE nuts in my sweets, but to each his own)

Directions:

1. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot.

3. Remove bowl from the skillet, and let cool for ~5 minutes until warm but not hot. Note: It will look kinda gritty at this point, don't panic!

4. Stir in vanilla with a spoon or spatula. Add eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. At this point it should look well-blended, shiny and thick.

5. Stir in flour until completely blended, then stir vigorously ~40 strokes. Stir in nuts if using.

6. Prep an 8x8" square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil so it overhangs on two opposite sides. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake at 325 degrees F for ~20 minutes. The tester should come out moist but not drenched.

7. Stick pan in fridge for ~15 minutes (this makes cutting & serving easier). Cut brownies in the desired size. Serve with milk or a scoop of ice cream!

Enjoy!

Apple Do..muffins?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:44:00 +0000

These are delicious, but I'm not entirely sure what to call them. They're like muffins. Or donuts. Or dumplings? So we're gonna go with Apple Domuffins.

Isn't that a cute little prop? I got it when I went antiquing last month :)

They're incredible, especially served warm. I've made them four times in the last two months. Yummy!

Apple Donuts/Muffins/Domuffins
Courtesy of Casa Veneracion
Yield: 1 dozen regular-sized or 2 dozen mini
Muffins
Ingredients:
Fuji apples- 2
Flour- 1 1/2 c
Sugar- 1/2 c
Baking powder- 1 3/4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Ground nutmeg- 1 tsp
Cold butter- 1/3 c, cut into small pieces
Egg- 1
Milk- 1/4 c
Directions:
1. Peel and roughly chop the apples.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
3. Add the butter to the flour mixture, and rub the butter against the flour until the mix resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a small bowl, whisk egg. Pour in the milk and stir lightly. Add chopped apples and stir.
5. Pour apple mixture to the flour mix. Stir (using your hands is fine) until just blended. Do not overmix! Batter will be stiff.
6. Form batter into loose balls and place in the holes of a greased & floured muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
Topping (make while domuffins are baking)
Ingredients:
Butter- 1/4 c, melted
Sugar- 1/3 c
Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp
Directions:
Mix together. When the domuffins are still warm, dip tops into butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mix. Serve warm!

On a side note, congratulations to the JMU Class of 2012! In one year, I will be joining you as a Dukes alum :)

Brownie Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:17:00 +0000

What do you do when a recipe doesn't turn out well?
You have a few options:
You can cry,
You can throw things,
You can vow never to bake again.
OR
You can take the result, and turn it into something yummy.

In this case, the fudge brownie cupcakes I made turned out very badly.

I'm not sure what went wrong with these, but I added chocolate pudding and the leftover IMBC plus sprinkles :)

A super yummy treat for any occasion! And a great way to use messed up chocolate cupcakes.

I'm definitely going to try making these again, I'm curious to know happened.

Brownie Pudding

Brownie Cupcakes

Courtesy of What's for Dinner?

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter- 1/2 c (1 stick)

Bittersweet chocolate- 2 oz, chopped

Flour- 1/2 c

Sugar- 3/4 c + 2 tbsp

Baking powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Eggs- 2

Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp

Mini chocolate chips- 1/2 c

Directions:

1. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Put in fridge and let cool, ~20 minutes.

2. Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add butter/chocolate mixture and stir well. Add chocolate chips and stir.

4. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full and bake at 325 degrees F for 20-23 minutes.

For the brownie pudding, make Jello instant chocolate pudding according to package instructions while the cupcakes are still warm. Take cupcakes out of the liners and crumble into the warm pudding. Stir together, then serve with a scoop of IMBC- ice cream would be good too, but I wanted to use the leftover frosting I had.

It may not look super pretty but it's soooo yummy.

Enjoy!

Blue Moon Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:38:00 +0000

So here's the thing.

I'm not really into beer.

But these cupcakes are awesome.

Chris loves Blue Moon, so when I saw these on Erica's Sweet Tooth, I knew I had to make them.
The orange hints in the beer are brought out really nicely with the orange peel, and the cream cheese frosting is delicious!
Fun fact: Chris and the boys ate these cupcakes faster than any other treat I've ever made. And they've been the taste testers for A LOT, so that's a pretty big deal :)

Blue Moon Cupcakes
Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes
The Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 1/2 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Blue Moon beer- 1 c, plus more for brushing on the warm cupcakes
Milk- 1/4 c
Unsalted butter- 3/4 c, room temp
Sugar- 1 3/4 c
Eggs- 3, room temp
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Orange zest- 1/2 tsp
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine beer and milk in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, ~2 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk/beer mixture to the butter, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes at 375 degrees F for 18 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean.
7. When cupcakes are done, poke holes in the tops and brush with beer.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
Cream cheese- 12 oz, cold
Unsalted butter- 6 tbsp, room temp
Freshly squeezed orange juice- 1 tbsp
Orange zest- 1 tsp
Powdered sugar- 4 c (more may be needed to stabilize)
Directions:
1. Cream butter and cream cheese in bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, ~2 minutes.
2. Add orange juice and zest and beat.
3. Gradually add the powdered sugar (1 c at a time). After it's all been added, switch to whisk attachment and beat for an additional 2 minutes to fluff it up.

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Vanilla Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:34:00 +0000

I've tried a lot of vanilla cake recipes.
The Vanilla Nirvana cupcakes didn't translate all that well to cakes.
The Almond Anniversary Cake wasn't as good when I subbed vanilla extract for the almond.
The Fluffy Vanilla Cake was good, but not great.
The 1-2-3-4 Cake was the same story.
Vanilla cakes are hard. They're not traditionally as moist as chocolate cakes, and even though there are tons of recipes out there, I've had a hard time finding one that stays moist and tastes super vanilla-y.

*Enter Warren Brown's Yellow Butter Cake*

It's so pure white, so beautiful.

So vanilla-y.

Not the easiest recipe to make, but so worth it.

It's filled with pastry cream (my first time making it), and topped with the most luxurious Italian Meringue Buttercream I've ever tried. I'm usually opposed to making IMBC recipes that call for a pound of butter, but just this once, I actually had enough butter in the apartment to try.
WORTH IT.
I've been putting off making this cake because I didn't feel like paying $9 for potato starch at Martin's or ordering it online. But then I found it for cheap at a cute shop in Harrisonburg called Grandma's Pantry!

I'm pretty sure this vanilla cake is The One.

THE Vanilla Cake
Yield: two 9" cakes or 2 dozen cupcakes
Note: Make the pastry cream first! It'll need to refrigerate for a while.
Pastry Cream
Courtesy of Macarons by Annie Rigg via The Faux Martha
Ingredients:
Egg yolks- 3 (save whites for IMBC)
Extra-fine sugar- 3/4 c (food processing regular sugar is fine)
Corn starch- 1 tbsp
Whole milk- 1 c
Unsalted butter- 3 tbsp, diced
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Heavy cream- 1/2 c
Directions:
1. Whisk egg yolks, half the sugar and corn starch in a medium heatproof bowl.
2. Heat milk and other half of sugar in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil.
3. Pour the hot milk mixture over yolk mixture and whisk constantly until smooth. Pour mixture back into saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens.
4. Strain into a clean bowl and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to cool. Once cooled, put in refrigerator.
5. Once chilled (takes ~30-45 minutes), take out of the fridge. In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, then fold into pastry cream. Re-cover and put back in the fridge until ready to use.

Yellow Butter Cake
Courtesy of Cake Love by Warren Brown via The Faux Martha
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 1/4 c
Potato starch- 1/4 c + 1 tbsp
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Half & half- 1 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp
Unsalted butter- 1 1/2 sticks, room temp
Extra-fine granulated sugar- 1 3/4 c
Large eggs- 4
Directions:
1. Sift flour into a medium bowl. Add potato starch, baking powder and salt, and whisk together. Set aside.
2. Pour half & half and vanilla extract into a small bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on the lowest speed for 3-5 minutes.
4. With the mixer still on low speed, add eggs one at a time.
5. Add dry ingredient mixture alternately with liquid mixture, starting and ending with dry. Don't wait until each addition is completely incorporated before adding the next.
6. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. Mix on medium an additional 15-20 seconds.
7. Prepare two 9" cake rounds- spray the bottom of each pan and line with parchment paper, but do not spray the sides of the pan (this will prevent the cakes from doming in the middle).
8. Divide batter evenly into the pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28 minutes (22 for cupcakes), or until the tester comes out clean.
9. Cool cakes 20 minutes in the pan. Use a small offset knife to loosen the cake from the rim of the pan. Carefully invert and remove parchment paper. Cool completely before icing.

Warren Brown's IMBC
Courtesy of Cake Love by Warren Brown via The Faux Martha
*I used some of the things I've learned from using Whisk Kid's recipe
Ingredients:
Egg whites- 5
Extra-fine sugar- 1 1/4 c
Cold water- 1/4 c
Unsalted butter- 4 sticks (1 lb), diced into 1 tbsp pats
*I added 1/4 tsp clear vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Pour egg whites into stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Measure 1/4 c sugar into a little bowl and set next to stand mixer.
2. Measure 1 c sugar and the water into a 1-qt, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir to combine.
3. Clip candy thermometer into sauce pan, and heat mix over medium-high heat. Partially cover with lid to capture the evaporating water.
4. When the sugar syrup reaches 200 degrees F, turn stand mixer on (high speed). When the egg whites start to form soft peaks, slowly pour in the 1/4 c sugar.
5. When the sugar syrup reaches 245 degrees F, remove thermometer and slowwwly pour into the meringue, with the mixer still running. Keep the mixer running on medium for ~8 minutes, until the mixture has cooled down.
6. Turn mixer back up to high, and add the butter 1 tbsp at a time. After all the butter has been added, keep beating for ~2 minutes (you can add the vanilla at this point if you'd like).

ASSEMBLY
Spread pastry cream on first layer of cake, then stack. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to let it solidify (makes it easier to frost). Ice cake with a crumb coat, then let sit for 15 minutes. Frost with another layer, then decorate as you please.
Refrigerate after assembly!

This cake is so good. So rich, so yummy! You'll have pastry cream and IMBC leftover. Enjoy!

Blueberry Lemonade Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:57:00 +0000

I've become a bit obsessed with the color yellow recently. And lemons. I love pretty much anything lemon-flavored.
But this? This takes the cake (terrible pun intended).

This is possibly the best cake I've ever made. Blueberry Lemonade Cake.
Glory Days has this delicious Blueberry Lemonade, and this is even better. I just don't have words for this cake.

I don't have any pictures of the inside of the cake because, well, we ate it too quickly.
But trust me, it's beautiful.
I made one 2-layer 9" cake, plus this 2-layer 6" to give away. I probably should have done it the other way around, eating only the 6-incher, but I just couldn't help myself.

Rosie at Sweetapolita suggests making your own lemon curd for the filling, but I used blueberry jam instead, and it was delightful!
Make this cake. IMMEDIATELY!
Blueberry Lemonade Cake
Cake
Ingredients:
Flour- 2 c + 6 tbsp
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Blueberries- 3 c (frozen are fine, just thaw completely first)
Sour cream- 1/2 c
Whole milk- 1/2 c (I used skim, and it was just fine)
Vanilla extract- 2 tsp
Pure lemon extract- 3/4 tsp
Lemon zest- 1 tsp
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), softened
Sugar- 1 1/2 c
Eggs- 4, large
Directions:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Transfer 1 tbsp of mix to a large bowl, then add the blueberries. Toss to coat, then set aside.
2. Combine sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined.
4. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the liquid mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stir until just combined, then add the blueberries coated with flour.
5. Pour batter into 8 or 9" pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes.
Filling
1 or 2 jars of blueberry jam, highest quality you can find. Super simple!
Lemon Frosting
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks)
Lemon zest- 2 tsp
Powdered sugar- 5 or 6 c
Lemon juice- 1/4 c (60 ml or 2 oz)
Heavy whipping cream- 6 tbsp
Pure lemon extract- 1/2 tsp
Water- 2 tbsp
Pinch of salt
1 drop of AmeriColor Electric Yellow gel food dye (optional)
Directions:
1. Cream butter and lemon zest in bowl of electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, ~3 minutes.
2. Slowwwly add powdered sugar one cup at a time. I've found using the cover/shield that comes with the stand mixer to be very helpful when it comes to powdered sugar... That stuff just loves to make a mess.
3. Add lemon juice, whipping cream, lemon extract, water and salt, and beat for ~2 minutes. Switch to whisk attachment and beat for an additional 2 minutes to fluff it up.

My attempts at using Photoshop for editing got a little out of hand...

I think this would be a great way to start the week, don't you?
Have a great one! :)

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:21:00 +0000

This post is a little late, but things have been pretty hectic around here recently, and it won't get any calmer for... several months? Oh boy.
These cupcakes are from the little birthday celebration I had with my college friends :) I figured the recipe was a great choice for a 21st birthday :)

These pics are pre-Fancy Schmancy Camera!

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes
Courtesy of The Novice Chef
Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes
Cosmopolitan
(This party was pre-21st birthday, so I had to make do with what I had. This is the recipe Jessica uses)
Jigger cranberry flavored/infused vodka- 1.5 fluid oz
Cointreau- 1/2 fluid oz
Fresh lime juice- 1 tsp
Cranberry juice- 1 1/2 fluid oz
Twist of lime zest for garnish
*Pour all ingredients into a shaker with lots of ice, shake vigorously for several seconds then pour into a cocktail glass.
The Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Butter- 1/2 c, room temp
Sugar- 2 1/4 c
Eggs- 2, room temp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 2 1/2 tsp
Flour- 3 c
Buttermilk- 1/4 c, room temp
Cosmopolitan- 1 1/4 c
Zest of 1 lime
Pink food coloring (optional)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add lime zest and beat for ~10 seconds.
2. Combine salt, baking powder and flour in a separate bowl.
3. Alternate dry ingredients and the Cosmopolitan, beating on low until mixture is combined. Add buttermilk and beat to combine. *Add pink food coloring.
4. Line cupcake pans and fill cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back in the middle when touched lightly.
Glaze
Heat 1/2 c Cosmopolitan in a sauce pan over medium heat until thickened and slightly reduced. Allow to cool slightly, then brush glaze on the tops of the cupcakes while they are still warm.
Cosmopolitan Buttercream
Ingredients:
Butter- 1 1/2 c (3 sticks), room temp
Powdered sugar- 4 c
Meringue powder- 1 tbsp (optional)
Cosmopolitan- 3-4 tbsp
Pinch of salt
Pink food coloring
Directions:
1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl, then add powdered sugar one cup at a time.
2. Add meringue powder and salt, and beat for ~10 seconds.
3. Add the Cosmopolitan one tablespoon at a time, then add the pink food coloring.

S'mores Cake + Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:40:00 +0000

I hate camping. In the words of Dr. Callie Torres of Grey's Anatomy, "the woods are dirty and there are many many bugs." I went to an outdoorsy sleepaway camp once when I was 11. It did not end well.

I'm also really not all that into s'mores. I was in Girl Scouts for about .2 seconds, so it's not even like I got sick of them. Not sure what it is, maybe because they're related to camping? Maybe it's the weird difference in textures?

But what I am sure of is that these cupcakes are incredible. The batter was runny and the marshmallow filling was a little chunky, but put together... AMAZING. The best part is, you don't have to get all dirty and gross to enjoy them!

S'mores Cake & Cupcakes
Adapted from Sweetapolita
Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes + one 6" three layer cake
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 3/4 c
Sugar- 2 c
Dark cocoa powder- 3/4 c
Baking soda- 2 tsp
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Eggs- 2
Strong black coffee- 1 c (hot)
Buttermilk- 1 c (room temp)
Canola oil- 1/2 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp
Directions:
1. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Beat on low to combine.
2. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla, and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter into lined cupcake pans until 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-17 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.

Toasted Marshmallow Filling
Ingredients:
Large marshmallows- 8 OR 1/2 bag of baby marshmallows
Powdered sugar- 1/2 c
Butter- 1/2 c, room temp
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Marshmallow fluff- 4 oz
Salt- a pinch
**For a boozy spin, add 1 tbsp Pinnacle Whipped Vodka (and an extra 1/4 c powdered sugar)**
Directions:
1. Beat butter and confectioner's sugar in bowl of an electric mixer (paddle attachment) until blended. Add vanilla and beat for 3 minutes.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (a Silpat or a coat of Baker's Joy works too), then spread with marshmallows. Place on lower rack of oven and set to broil. Keep a very close eye on the marshmallows, and remove when nice and brown.
3. IMMEDIATELY scoop the browned marshmallows into electric mixer bowl. Add marshmallow fluff and salt, and beat for 2 minutes. If you wait too long to add the marshmallows, your filling will be chunky! Add vodka if desired and beat.

Malted Belgian Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
Butter- 1 c, room temp
Confectioner's sugar- 1 c
Vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
Malted milk powder (or Ovaltine mix)- 1/3 c
Bittersweet chocolate- 4 oz, chopped and melted
Heavy whipping cream- 1/4 c
Directions:
1. Beat butter and confectioner's sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute.
2. Add vanilla and malted milk powder and beat on low speed until combined.
3. Add melted chocolate and beat to combine.
4. Add whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed for another minute.
5. Switch to whisk attachment, and whip on high for 2 minutes (to make it nice and fluffy).

ASSEMBLY:
Use a cupcake corer to remove the centers of the cupcakes once they have cooled. Try to resist eating the scraps, you'll need them in a minute :) Spoon toasted marshmallow filling, then top with the centers/remnants/scraps. Pipe frosting on, then top with chocolate sprinkles or a baby marshmallow. Serve with a glass of milk!

A pretty great way to enjoy s'mores without camping, don'tcha think?

Happy Weekend!

Easter Love

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Psst! Hey guys, can you keep a secret?
I'm in love.
With my camera. And these cupcakes.

These are strawberry cupcakes with incredible marshmallow frosting. With a peep on top!

Delicious. I don't think I'll ever make another frosting. This is THE ONE. And one of the best parts is no butter required!

And this camera? No words. I love it.

Strawberry Cupcakes
Adapted from Krissy's Creations
I doubled the original recipe, which turned out: 2 dozen regular cupcakes, 1 dozen mini cupcakes, and one 2-layer 6" cake (which would probably be 3 dozen cupcakes if I'd stuck with reg size)
Ingredients:
Strawberries- 2 cups, pureed into 1 cup (frozen is fine, but thaw them first!)
Milk- 2/3 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tbsp+1 tsp
All-purpose flour- 3 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), room temp
Sugar- 2 c
Eggs- 4
Pink food coloring (optional)
Directions:
1. Puree the strawberries using a food processor. Pour into a bowl, then add milk and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl (stand mixer is best), beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
4. Gradually add 1/2 flour mix with mixer on low speed. Once combined, beat in milk mixture, then remaining flour. Add pink food coloring if you'd like :)
5. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full (they don't rise very much).
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean. If making a 6" cake, you'll need to leave it in for around 45 minutes (but keep a close eye on it!).
Cool completely before frosting.

This little piggy spatula went wee-wee-wee all the way home!

Fluffy Cloud Marshmallow Frosting
Courtesy of Bless this Mess
I doubled the recipe, but I had a lot left over. You'd most likely be fine with one batch.
Ingredients:
Egg whites- 2, at room temp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Sugar- 1/4 c
Light corn syrup- 3/4 c
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp (I used Wilton's clear extract because I wanted pure white frosting)
Directions:
1. Prep your stand mixer bowl- pour a little lemon juice on a paper towel and wipe down.
2. Whisk egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the sugar while keeping it at high speed.
3. Bring corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep mixer going at high speed, and sloowwwly pour in corn syrup.
4. Beat until stiff peaks form, ~5 minutes. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

ASSEMBLY!
Use the frosting IMMEDIATELY. I used an extra large round frosting tip, then topped each regular-sized cupcake with a Peep. For the mini cupcakes, I sprinkled sanding sugar on top.

Happy, Happy Easter!

There will be more Easter treat fun coming soon :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:43:00 +0000

I love birthdays. My family is huge on birthdays.
Especially big ones.
Today, I am 21 years old!
This will be a pretty short post, but I had to share the beautiful birthday cake my family always makes :) Ever since I was little, probably 5 or 6, I've asked for lemon clam linguine for dinner and angel food cake for dessert.
For my first birthday, though, my mom chose green jello.

That's my cousin Nick in the bottom picture

Here's the angel food cake! It's from a box, with classic buttercream (plus a tsp of almond), and bittersweet chocolate drizzle.

I had an incredible time with my parents, and now I'm celebrating my birthday night with Chris and his boys.

And then tomorrow, it'll be time to play with my big present!!!

FANCY SHMANCY CAMERA!!!! YESSSSS! I came thisclose to crying when I opened it.

More birthday fun to be added!
Have a wonderful weekend :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:59:00 +0000

March is the awesomest month ever!
SO many of my friends and family have birthdays this month. In my immediate family alone, 3 of the 4 of us (yes, we count the dog) have late March birthdays. Archie's on the 20th, my dad is the 28th, and mine is the 31st.
I'm home for the first half of my birthday weekend, then the second half will be with my honey :)
I'll be adding more pictures later, but I left my camera chord at school, so I can't attach the ones I took ahead of time of this masterpiece.

My dad loves golf. He's been playing it forever, and as soon as I saw this cake idea on Love and Olive Oil, I knew I had to make it for his birthday. I ordered this cute golf-themed chocolate mold two weeks ago, and it turned out perfectly!

Super Chocolate Cake

Courtesy of Whisk Kid

I doubled the recipe to make two layers, which I then split into 4.

Ingredients:

Flour- 2 2/3 c

Unsweetened cocoa powder- 3/4 c

Baking soda- 3 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), room temp

Brown sugar- 3 c

Eggs- 4, room temp

Vanilla- 2 tsp

Sour cream- 1 1/3 c, room temp

Hot coffee- 1 1/3 c

Directions:

1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, ~5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

3. Alternate dry ingredients with sour cream. Gently stir in hot coffee, and pour into two 9-inch cake pans that have been greased and floured.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for ~35 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.

A little frosting anecdote...

My plan was to make two batches of Italian Meringue Buttercream. The first batch turned out great! The second, not so much.... Fortunately, I had all the ingredients I needed for marshmallow buttercream! So it's IMBC on the outside, Marshmallow on the inside, then I had to use some store-bought vanilla frosting for the little tufts of green grass.

Here's the Marshmallow Buttercream frosting recipe :)

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
Courtesy of Baked Bree
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1 c, room temp
Marshmallow fluff- 1 (7 oz) jar
Powdered sugar- 2 c
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Directions:
1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add marshmallow fluff and beat for 2 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute.

ASSEMBLY!
~Wrap the cake layers in saran wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). This will make slicing much easier.
~Slice each cake layer in half, resulting in 4 slices.
~Place a generous amount of marshmallow buttercream in between each slice. Stack carefully!
~For the "hole," place one shot glass upside down on the top layer of the cake, use a knife to draw an outline. Take the shot glass off the cake, and dig a little hole in the top. Put the shot glass back on while frosting.
~Frost with a crumb coat of IMBC, and put in fridge to harden, ~15 minutes.
~Frost with another layer of IMBC. BE PATIENT! If you want it to be super smooth, you're gonna have to be willing to spend a solid chunk of time on this step.
~The green grass is actually a lot easier than you may think. All you need is a grass tip from Wilton.
~For the golf ball and tee, use a chocolate mold. Melt a handful of white chocolate candy melts, and pour ~2 spoonfuls into each golf ball mold (it's a good idea to make an extra just in case). Let harden, then poke the edges with a knife until it pops out. Frost the flat side with some extra frosting, and stick 'em together.

Serve with ice cream if you like :)

Happy Birthday, Archie!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:57:00 +0000

Tomorrow is my puppy dog's birthday.

Okay, he's not exactly a puppy anymore. He's turning... 11. *sobs*

But you wouldn't know it to look at him- he's still such a hyper pup! And he's so cute. I just can't help calling him my puppy.

Archie's been my dog since he was a "wee pup" as my dad called him. He was the size of his shoe! I was terrified of dogs until we got him, and my brilliant theory worked- for 10 years I begged my parents to get me a doggie, and my argument was that once I understood dogs, I wouldn't be afraid of them. Genius.

I'm still not a huge fan of big dogs, and it doesn't help that I am seriously allergic to the ones that shed, which is almost all of them. Archie's a cockapoo, so he's "hypoallergenic." Yeah, you read that right. A hypoallergenic dog. Like a pillowcase. But fuzzy and adorable!

Anyways, I'm going home next week to celebrate the big birthday month- me, my dad, and my dog have birthdays in March! When I get there, I'll make these nomlicious pupcakes for him. They're from Brown Eyed Baker, and the last time I made them, he loved them! They're actually really delicious, not just for doggies!
Here's the recipe :)
Arf arf!

Apple Cheddar Pupcakes
Courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: 12 regular-sized pupcakes, or 24 mini
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 1/2 c
Rolled oats- 1/4 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Applesauce- 1/2 c
Water- 1/2 c
Vegetable oil- 1/4 c
Honey- 2 tbsp
Eggs- 2
Apple- 1, peeled, cored, minced
Cheddar cheese- 1 c, grated
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk applesauce, water, oil, honey, and the eggs. Add to dry flour mixture, then add apple and cheese. Don't over-blend!
3. Grease and flour cupcake pans (or use liners). Spoon batter into tins, fill almost full. Bake at 400 degrees F at 15-20 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
Let your doggie pig out! But make sure you chunk it into small pieces, cuz if your dog is like mine, he/she will scarf it down.

Happy Birthday, Archie dog!

Happy Birthday, Oreos!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:45:00 +0000

I'm here, I'm here!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks at school leading up to Spring Break, and now Cat and I are in MEXICO! Woohoo! I can't exactly bake anything here, HOWEVER: Oreo's 100th Birthday is March 6th, and I couldn't let it pass without a post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OREOS! To celebrate, they have come up with an incredible new special edition Oreo... Birthday Cake Oreos. Oreos + Birthday Cake filling = Happy Kelly. Bonus- they made my room smell like Lucky Charms!

IT'S NOM TIME!!!!
I love Oreos.
Not sure if I've made that clear in the past, but I do. If I could marry them, I would.
I had to stop eating them when I was put on my chocolate ban, but now I can and my love for them never lessened.
These pictures are major throwbacks. As in sophomore year of high school throwbacks. As in six years ago... Old.

This was in the early days of my baking! No judging please :)

I planned on making this cake with the amazing birthday Oreos, but ran out of time. That last week before Spring Break is always B-A-N-A-N-A-S (that song is how I learned to spell bananas. No big deal.) So these pictures will have to do.
I've been using this recipe for years, just like the Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake. I think the Oreo Cake is from Kraftfoods.com.
Here it is!
Chocolate-Covered Oreo Cake
Ingredients:
Devil's food cake mix~ 1 pkg
Cream cheese~ 1 (8 oz) pkg, softened
Sugar~ 1/2 c
Cool Whip~ 1 (8 oz) tub
Oreos!~ 12, coarsely crushed
BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate~ 4 squares
Unsalted butter~ 1/4 c (1/2 stick, cut up)
Directions:
1. Prep two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions. Cool 5 minutes, then remove from pans. Cool completely.
3. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl on medium speed. Gently stir in Cool Whip and Oreos.
4. Microwave chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until the butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY:
Place one cake layer, top-side down, on serving plate. Spread cream cheese mixture *it will more likely go like this: spoon some, eat some, spoon some, eat some, etc.* onto the first layer. Cover with remaining cake layer, then spread melted chocolate and butter on the top. Voila!
Store in the refrigerator.

For fun, here are some links to other great Oreo recipes!

Courtesy of Bake at 350

Courtesy of Gimme Some Oven

Courtesy of Love from the Oven

Have a wonderful birthday celebration!

New features!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:35:00 +0000

I'll be adding Valentine's Day part 2 later, but I wanted to show you the newest features! The darling Pamela from The Posh Box made my new signature as well as the new social media icons!!!
I'm so excited!

Valentine's Day Yumness, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:53:00 +0000

It's almost Valentine's Day!
The drawback to long distance dating is that you don't necessarily get to be with your Valentine on the actual holiday.
But the cool thing is, we get to celebrate early (and often!).
In preparation for our weekend, I made a heart-shaped vanilla strawberry cake, and 2 dozen caramel-filled chocolate cupcakes.

Here's the recipe for the cupcakes!
Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
Courtesy of Dough Puncher
Yield ~2 dozen cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes (super easy One-Bowl by Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
Cocoa powder- 3/4 c
Flour- 1 1/2 c
Sugar- 1 1/2 c
Baking soda- 1 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 3/4 tsp
Salt- 1/3 tsp
Eggs- 2, lightly whipped/beaten
Warm water- 3/4 c
Buttermilk- 3/4 c
Canola oil- 3 tbsp
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Directions:
1. Mix together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until smooth.
3. Fill lined cupcake pans- each about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean.

Caramel Filling
Ingredients:
Butter- 1/2 c (1 stick)
Sweetened condensed milk- 1/2 c
Brown sugar- 1/2 c
Corn syrup- 1/2 c
Heavy cream- 1 1/2 c, divided (1 c, 1/2 c)
Directions:
1. Combine butter, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 c cream in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, until candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees.
3. Remove from heat and stir in 1 c cream. Let cool (putting it in the fridge speeds up the process).

Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
Heavy cream- 2 c
Semi-sweet chocolate chips- 3 c
Directions:
1. Pour chocolate chips into medium-sized heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream until just simmering- it rises fast, don't panic, just get that sucker off the heat ASAP!
3. Pour cream over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir with a whisk until smooth.
4. Let cool for 30-40 minutes.
5. Whip until ganache is pale and almost doubles in volume.

Assembly:
Once the cupcakes are cool, cut out the center/use a corer. Fill with caramel, pipe on ganache, and shower it in sprinkles!

Supplies:
Heart liners~ Cupcake Social on Etsy
Heart sprinkles~ Layer Cake Shop
Pretty pretty cake stands~ 3 sizes, Home Goods
Ribbon- Michael's

Are you ready for some foootbaaaaaalll (cake)?!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

HELLO!
I have spent the last six days working on this project, and I'm very pleased to finally reveal it. Chris's football banquet was tonight, and I made cake replicas of SU's helmet and football field, as well as football-shaped whoopie pies.
I'll get to all the logistics later (there were a lot of them), for now I want to just show a pic of us dressed up fancy :)

I gave him that bow-tie for Christmas :D

I drew out a diagram of my plan last weekend (I'll post that later). There were a LOT of moving parts, and I didn't finish assembling the cakes until we got to the banquet.
Here are the basics:
Four batches of Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I believe the technical term for that is a "buttload" of frosting :P

Four batches of vanilla cake (resulting in FIVE cakes)

One batch of Marshmallow Fondant

One batch of Whoopie Pies

They don't look great, and that's okay cuz you can't win 'em all!

One jar of Nutella

One jar of Marshmallow Fluff

PLUS:

Rice (wafer) paper

Endless amounts of food coloring (my fingernails are still purple)

Americolor gourmet food writers

Cute football player cake toppings

A face mask made of gumpaste

AND

Two-toned accents around the big cake

WHAT DID ALL THE INTENSE PLANNING AND HARD WORK RESULT IN?!

TA-DA!

Now that that's out of my system...

You may be wondering how exactly I did it. Let me show you....

First up was to make the cakes.

I used my favorite Vanilla Nirvana cupcakes recipe to make the cakes. I made the batches individually cuz I'm superstitious (or just overly cautious?), but it came to a total of four. Once I got to making the helmet, I was so worn out (and out of ingredients) that I cracked and used... *gulp* a cake mix. I'm not (super) ashamed of that fact, considering all the work I put into this bad boy.

NEXT, I made the frosting. And boy, did I make a lot of it.

Here's Sweetapolita's Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe. You can break it down into smaller batches, which is a good idea if you have anything smaller than a 5-quart Kitchenaid.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

Large egg whites- 16 (2 cups if using liquid)

Sugar- 4 cups

Unsalted butter- 5 cups/TEN STICKS (yeah, you read that right. Ten.), softened but cool

Vanilla extract- 2 tbsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Directions:

1. Wipe down ALL of your tools (mixing bowl, whisk attachment, small bowl, and whisk) with a paper towel and lemon juice to remove any possible trace of grease.
2. In the mixing bowl, add egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a simmering (not boiling) pot of water, and whisk constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or, if you don't have a candy thermometer, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot (feel a drop in between your fingers to make sure no sugar granules remain).
3. Take off the stove, and put bowl back in electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until it is thick, glossy, and a neutral temperature (feel the outside of the bowl to test it).
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and, while mixing on low speed continuously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has a silky smooth texture (if it curdles, don't panic! keep beating and it will get smooth).
5. Add vanilla and salt, and mix well.

For the base cake....

I used two 9" layers of the vanilla cake. To get those two-toned dots around the bottom, I put red SMBC and blue SMBC in the same piping bag, and piped 'em out using a large closed star tip.

I kept the base simple, cuz I figured the helmet would be decoration enough.

NEXT, I made Marshmallow Fondant. This was the second time I used fondant, and I'm definitely still learning.

THEN, I stacked and carved the helmet. I had one 6" layer of the vanilla cake, which I split into two, plus half of a Wilton Ball cake. I used Wilton's decorator icing for in between the layers and for the crumb layer.

Here's the cake after I laid the fondant down:

Next, I cut out a strip of red fondant and attached it down the middle, using gum glue (gum paste mixed with water).

Then, I used the method displayed by That Really Frosts Me to cut out the SU logo. Then I used Americolor Gourmet Writers to write "Riddell" on the front and back of the helmet.

Next... the face mask.

This didn't turn out suuuper great. There are a lot of ideas around the 'net about how to handle the face mask, and I chose to use gumpaste and toothpicks. It kinda broke, but it worked.

I'm gonna put the picture here again, cuz I'm just so proud of it! Hehe!

Once we got to the banquet, I oohhh so carefully placed the helmet on top. I couldn't do it ahead of time, because my cake carriers aren't tall enough!

The field was pretty simple. I bought the goal posts and players at a baking supply store in Winchester, and I used rice paper and red edible paint for the logo. Forgive me for not having taken more pictures, I was just so relieved to be done with the project! Also the banquet was starting, and I didn't want to be that weird person in the back taking random pictures of cake....

I have a TON of homework and sleep to catch up on, so I promise to add the recipe for the whoopie pies tomorrow!

Ta-ta for now!

Tomboy Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:57:00 +0000

I'M HERE I'M HERE!
I definitely deserve some doghouse time right now. I know it's been... 18 days since my last post and I'm sorrryyyy! The new year has gotten off to a bit of a hectic start. More on that later.
I attempted to make Miette's Tomboy Cake twice. One was so hideous, I just couldn't bring myself to take a picture. I didn't have the correct pan size, and then I tried shaping it and it wound up looking like a "cake mountain" as Chris's friend said. They still inhaled the whole thing, but I had to give it another shot.

Here's take 2. It's nowhere near as gorgeous as the one on Miette's cover, but that's to be expected, seeing as I am an amateur and have made this cake a total of 2 times.

You know what that means... more "practice!!!" Yessss.

This cake is truly delicious. I used a different frosting the second time, because the one in the book calls for OVER A POUND of butter. Now, when I'm at my parents' house, that's cool, cuz they always have a fully stocked kitchen. But when I'm at my apartment, not so much.

So, here's the recipe! It's nomlicious.

Miette's Tomboy Cake
Double Chocolate Cake
Yield: TWO 6-inch, 3-layer cakes
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour- 1 1/2 c
Unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT dutch processed)- 1 1/4 c + a little for the pans
Baking soda- 1 1/2 tsp
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Kosher salt- 3/4 tsp
70% cacao chocolate- 2 oz, coarsely chopped
Boiling water- 1 c
Buttermilk- 1 c
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Large eggs- 2, room temp
Canola oil- 1/2 c
Sugar- 2 1/4 c

Directions:
1. Prepare two 6x3" cake pans- butter generously and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out excess cocoa.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.
3. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer (whisk attachment), whisk eggs on high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil, then whisk until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
6. Reduce speed to low and slowwwly pour cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Slowly add buttermilk mixture, then add the sugar and whisk until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes.
7. Stop the mixer, and add the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, preferably by hand using a spatula or spoon. Make sure you get all the chocolaty goodness from the bottom and sides of the bowl!
8. Pour batter through a medium-sized mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps. Press against any lumps with a spatula, then discard any that remain.
9. Bake cakes at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and the tester comes out clean.

Only 2 months til my 21st birthday, when I'll hopefully get my big present
*cough cough Mom and Dad* Subtlety was never my strong suit :D

Miette's Vanilla Buttercream
Yield: ~6 c, enough to frost two 6-inch cakes
Ingredients:
Sugar- 2 c
Water- 1/3 c
Large egg whites- 5
Cream of tartar- 1 tsp
Unsalted butter- 3 c (1 1/2 lbs), room temp
Vanilla extract- 2 tbsp
*Candy thermometer!

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the mixture until it reaches 248 degrees F, about 5-7 minutes (depends on your stove).
2. Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer (whisk attachment), but DO NOT start whipping it!
3. Once the sugar syrup has reached 248 degrees F, turn on the stand mixer on a low speed. Slowwwly pour in the sugar syrup. When it has all been added, turn the speed up to high, and beat until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, ~5-7 minutes.
4. Once the meringue is cool enough, begin adding the butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Make sure each tbsp is completely combined before adding more.
Note: I prefer to use the paddle attachment while adding butter, but either way works.
5. After all the butter has been added, the frosting should be smooooth and thick and luscious. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Assembly
Slice each 6-inch cake into 3 layers. Pipe frosting onto the bottom layer using a star tip, then smooth out with a spatula, leaving the sides pretty and frilly. Repeat.

*My go-to Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (SMBC)
Courtesy of Whisk Kid
Ingredients:
Large egg whites- 5
Sugar- 1 c
Unsalted butter- 1 c (2 sticks), room temp, cut into 1 tbsp chunks
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk. Place over a small saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water!).
2. Whisk the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Rub a little bit of the mixture between your fingers to test.
3. Remove bowl from stove, and secure into the stand mixer (whisk attachment). Whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool to the touch and is very glossy and light, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the butter, 1 tbsp at a time. Make sure each tbsp is completely combined before continuing!
5. Once all the butter has been added, continue to beat for a couple minutes, until the frosting is thick and luscious. Add the vanilla, and beat to combine.

For this cake, I made a raspberry variation of Whisk Kid's SMBC. To achieve it, I added a couple spoonfuls of seedless raspberry jam, and 1/2 tsp of raspberry extract. There are a LOT of ways to add flavoring to frosting; this was the most convenient way for me. You could also make a puree, as Miette recommends, but I didn't have any raspberries on hand. So just do what feels right! Kaitlin over at Whisk Kid does a great job listing the various flavoring options, so click on the SMBC link to check it out :)

I have a HUGE week of baking coming up- Chris's football banquet is a week away, and I'm making some desserts to take :D

First post of 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:55:00 +0000

It's a tradition for me to open a present from my Aunt Sandy on Christmas Eve. This year, Aunt Sandy gave me the book by MIETTE owner Meg Ray.
I freaked out. I stayed up an extra hour on Christmas Eve to read it cover to cover. The book itself is GORGEOUS and the recipes? Amazing.

My mom asked me to make something for a big client meeting she has tomorrow. We chose the Lemon Tea Cake.

Lemon Tea Cake

Courtesy of Miette

Makes 4 small 5-inch loaves OR 2 standard 8-inch loaves

Lemon Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

Water- 1/2 c

Fresh lemon juice- 1/4 c (you'll need at least 3 for all the recipe components)

Sugar- 1/4 c

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium-high. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly. It won't thicken, and that's okay. Let it cool completely, and then stain over a bowl.

Lemon Tea Cake

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour- 2 1/2 c

Sugar- 1 1/2 c

Baking powder- 2 1/2 tsp

Kosher salt- 1/2 tsp

Heavy cream- 1 c

Large egg yolks- 7

Large whole eggs- 2

Vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp

Grated lemon zest- 2 1/2 tbsp (I had only had 2 1/2 lemons, but the cake was still delicious!)

Butter- 1 1/3 c, cubed

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir cream, egg yolks, whole eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Set aside.

3. Beat dry ingredients on medium speed for 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add the butter, and mix for 1 minute.

4. Add half of the egg mixture, beat until incorporated and mix for 1 minute. Repeat with the other half of the egg mixture.

5. Divide the batter between buttered and floured pans. Bake at 350 degrees until the tops of the loaves are golden brown, and a tester comes out clean; about 45 minutes for small pans, 50-55 for the larger pans.

6. Transfer to wire racks, and immediately brush tops with the lemon simple syrup. Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert onto the racks and cool for another 20 minutes.

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

Fresh lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Corn syrup- 1 tsp

Powdered sugar- 1 1/3 c

Directions:

Whisk together the lemon juice and corn syrup. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whisk until the glaze is thick and silky. Drizzle/spread over the cooled cakes, and let the glaze dry about 30 minutes.

Frosting for the Cause!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Cancer Sucks. But we can make a difference!

I'm really excited and proud to be posting my contribution for Frosting for the Cause. It's a truly awesome project spearheaded by Paula over at Vanilla Bean Baker.
This is the background given by Frosting for the Cause:
"Beginning January 1, 2011 a total of 365 sugar cookie & cupcake bakers/decorators and bloggers from across Canada and the United States will take turns doing a guest post here at Frosting for the Cause. Once a day, every day for a year you will be treated to a new and talented blogger who will showcase their home-made, hand-decorated cookies, cupcakes and sweets or all kinds together with their recipes. Almost everyone, everywhere, has been touched by cancer in one form or another. The guest bakers will also share in a very personal manner with readers of Frosting for the Cause, about a woman in their life who had to face this terrible disease head-on."

I only found out about the project recently, and I was so excited to find out there were a couple of days left in December! I'm currently on vacation, so I did this ahead of time.

Why am I participating?

I've mentioned previously that I lost one of my best friends to brain cancer in August 2010. Natalie was a truly incredible person- always optimistic, she brightened every room she ever walked into. She was a talented composer, piano player, and singer. She was diagnosed in April of 2009, the spring of our senior year of high school. Chemo almost killed her that summer, but radiation was enough to send her into remission. The same time in 2010, the cancer came back, this time for good. We lost her on August 3, 2010.

In Boston

In Spain

In Rehoboth, at the Fractured Prune

Right before our junior prom :)

Please, please consider donating to Frosting for the Cause! It's such a great project. Two of the aspects of committing to participate are donating money to a cancer charity or organization, and donating our baked goods to a hospice or women's cancer center. I chose the National Brain Tumor Society and the Cancer Center at Mount Vernon Inova Hospital in Alexandria.
Everyone I know has been touched at some point in their lives by cancer, either directly or indirectly. I was very touched by Frosting for the Cause's mission, and I'm so excited to participate.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
I used my Award Winning Chocolate Cupcakes, recipe re-posted below. I had mini peppermint marshmallows I wanted to use, so I searched for a marshmallow buttercream recipe that used one! I'm posting that recipe, as well as my favorite marshmallow buttercream recipe :)

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Bittersweet chocolate- 3 oz, finely chopped
Dutch-processed cocoa- 1/3 c
Hot, strong-brewed coffee- 3/4 c
Bread flour- 3/4 c
Sugar- 3/4 c
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Canola oil- 6 tbsp
Large eggs- 2
White vinegar- 2 tsp
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Directions:
1. Put chocolate and cocoa in a bowl, then pour the hot coffee over it. Whisk until smooth, then transfer to refrigerator until cool, 20-30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together, and set aside.
3. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mix.
4. Add flour mixture to the mix, and whisk until batter is smooth.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes. In my oven, it worked best when I rotated the cupcake pan at 17 minutes, then let them bake an additional two {it would probably be better to do it halfway through... let me know what you find!}

Ganache Filling
Ingredients:
Bittersweet chocolate- 2 oz, finely chopped
Heavy whipping cream- 1/4 c
Powdered sugar- 1 tbsp
Directions:
1. Place chocolate, cream, and powdered sugar in a microwave-proof bowl. Cook on high until mixture is warm to touch, about 30 seconds.
2. Whisk mixture, then put bowl in refrigerator. Let stand until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Peppermint Marshmallow Frosting
Adapted from eHow.com
Full disclosure: Following this recipe didn't work out super great, so I adapted it/added some ingredients (included). In this case, it's more about tinkering with the recipe and ingredients to your own individual taste.
Ingredients:
Peppermint mini marshmallows- 64
Cold butter- 3 sticks
Milk- 1 1/3 c
Vanilla- 1/2 tsp
Added:
Peppermint extract- 1 tsp
Powdered sugar- 1/2 c
Marshmallow fluff- 1/2 c
Red food coloring
Directions:
1. Combine mini marshmallows and milk in a medium sized saucepan turned to low heat. Allow mixture to heat until the marshmallows dissolve.
2. Remove mixture and allow it to come to room temperature.
3. Cream butter, then slowly add marshmallow mixture and vanilla. Beat until combined.
4. Optional to add peppermint extract, powdered sugar and marshmallow fluff. Tint with red food coloring to make it cute and pink :)

My Go-To Marshmallow Frosting Recipe
You could totally tinker with this to make it nice and peppermint-y :)
Courtesy of Baked Bree
Ingredients:
Butter- 1 c, room temp
Marshmallow fluff- 1 (7 oz) jar
Powdered sugar- 2 c
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Directions:
1. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add marshmallow fluff. Whip for 2 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute.

Nannie's Coffee Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:11:00 +0000

One of the most important traditions in the Kimball family (my mom's side) is the making of Nannie's coffee cake for special occasions- Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc. It is a truly incredible dish, and one I can't imagine my life without!
This recipe stretches so far back in our family history, we don't even know where it came from. We just always call it Nannie's Coffee Cake :)

Nannie's Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
Butter- 1 stick, softened
Cream cheese- 1 8 oz package
Sugar- 1 1/4 c
Eggs- 2, large
Vanilla- 1 tsp
Almond extract- 1 tsp
Flour- 2 c
Baking powder- 2 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Milk- 1/2 c

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese well. Gradually add in sugar.
2. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Alternately add the flour mixture (dry ingredients) and milk (wet), beginning and ending with the dry. Blend well.
5. Turn into a buttered 9x13 pan. Then add....

Nannie's Coffee Cake Topping!
Ingredients:
Butter- 1/2 stick, FROZEN (do not soften!)
Flour- 1/2 c
Dark brown sugar- 1/2 c
Pecans- 3/4 c

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a cuisinart! Then GENEROUSLY cover coffee cake batter with the deliciousness. Bake coffee cake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Merry Christmas to All!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:51:00 +0000

Before I head off to sleep, I HAD to share this EXQUISITE creation by my Aunt Ginna. It's a gingerbread farm. Yeah, you read that right. A gingerbread FARM.
It's for the cover of her latest book, which I will be promoting furiously as soon as it is released (and will be devouring as soon as I get my hands on a copy).

Courtesy of Ginna BB Gordon :)

How incredible is that?! She's been sending me pictures of the work in progress, and I've been speechless the whole time. I want to be her when I grow up :)

On that note, may you all have a wonderful Christmas! I shall post some recipes on Monday before I go on vacation :)

Here's Aunt Ginna's blog: http://honeybabydarlin.com/blog/

My Very First Wedding Cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:14:00 +0000

Congratulations to Zully & Freddy!
Zully is my best friend's godmother, and as soon as she got engaged, she asked me to make my sour cream cake for the wedding :)
There were some bumps in the road, but the cakes came out nicely. I made two of the tiered cakes, plus 2 dozen vanilla cupcakes.

Official wedding pictures to come :)

Sour Cream Cake

Courtesy of The Purple Sage Cookbook

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:

Butter- 1 c, softened

Sugar- 3 c

Eggs- 6, divided

Flour- 3 c

Baking soda- 1/4 tsp

Sour cream- 1 c

Almond extract- 2 tbsp

Vanilla- 1 tsp

Directions:

1. In bowl of standing mixer, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.

3. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

4. Sift flour three times into a medium sized bowl. Mix baking soda into sour cream.

5. Alternate adding flour and sour cream mixture to the butter & sugar.

6. Add almond extract and vanilla. Fold egg whites into batter.

7. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

I used Classic Vanilla Buttercream, substituted almond for vanilla extract.