Hi all,
I realize it's been a while since I've posted on here, and excuses like work and school are legitimate but typical so I'll just leave it at an apology. Having said that, I am in the process of building up a new blog, which I'd love you all to take a look at! I'm going to be transitioning this content to the new blog gradually, and am in the process of converting my Facebook page and Twitter account. I hope to see you at the new blog, which you can find here! The new Twitter handle is @OhGoodnessCakes
Thanks for the support, the views, and the comments here! It's been swell :)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
S'mores Cupcakes!
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For the cupcakes, you'll need:
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1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1-2 cups mini marshmallows
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At this point, the original recipe would have you pour a few mini marshmallows over the batter and then bake the cupcakes 18-20 minutes. However, I found that the marshmallows puffed up as the recipe indicated they would, and then melted everywhere because it was simply too long for them to be in the oven. So I'd suggest that you bake the cupcakes 10 or so minutes and then top them with marshmallows and continue baking for the remainder of the time. This should ensure that the marshmallows puff up and brown but don't just turn into a melted (albeit tasty) mess. Also, as I mentioned briefly earlier, and because of my personal preference, I'd likely omit the chocolate chips in the future and instead fill the cupcakes with a chocolate ganache or fudge or something instead.
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Let me know how you like these, should you try them yourself! Perhaps, like me, you'll find that these cupcakes are the perfect solution to having S'mores year-round!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Checkerboard Cake How-To
The first thing you'll need is cake. I used a simple vanilla cake recipe and then coloured half of it pink, and the other half light yellow, after separating the batter into two separate bowls. You can also use two cake batters, such as vanilla and chocolate, or whatever suits your fancy. Keep in mind, however, that when using two different batters you'll have to pay attention - not every cake has the same baking temperature or baking time, which could be problematic. For simplicity's sake, that is why I chose to simply colour my cake batter. Given that it was for Easter, I thought the pastel colours looked nice together and suited the occasion nicely.
The next thing you'll need is a checkerboard cake pan set. I'm sure that if you can't find one of these handy sets (I found mine at a local Michael's), or if you just don't want to pay for one (I found mine on sale), there is probably a way to do this in some makeshift fashion - I found an alternative to the pan set, which you can see here. Let me know if it works!
Now that you have the batter, and the necessary equipment, what you're going to do next is actually quite simple:
2. Place the dividing rings in the first cake pan, and fill the center ring with cake batter. I used pink first, and found it was easiest to fill the pans using a large serving spoon.
3. Fill the middle ring next, holding the divider in place, with the second colour of batter (yellow, in my case).
4. Fill the outer ring with the first colour (pink), still holding the divider in place. Once the third and final ring has been filled, pull the dividing ring out of the cake pan, being sure to lift it straight up so as not to disrupt your cake batter.
6. For the middle layer of the cake, again rinse the divider and then position it in the third pan. This pan is going to be filled in the opposite way of the first two. In my case, I filled the center with yellow, then proceeded to fill the middle with pink batter, and then the outer ring with yellow batter.
7. Bake and cool the cakes as directed according to the recipes.
8. Level the layers as necessary, and then frost and layer the cake. Begin with one of your two matching layers, as it will be the bottom. Layer icing over the top (I used vanilla buttercream) and then position the opposite cake layer on top. Again, ice the top and then position the third layer.
9. Now, ice the cake as desired, cut, and serve!
When you cut into the cake, you should find that you have achieved a checkerboard appearance! This cake has always been a hit for me, and it can be done in so many ways! Once you get the hang of the dividing ring, feel free to change up the colours, add more in, change batters, etc! I have made several checkerboard cakes, and a few of my favourites included:
- A vanilla and chocolate checkerboard cake with raspberry buttercream icing
- A chocolate and banana checkerboard cake with cream cheese icing, and
- A vanilla checkerboard cake that I coloured using red, green, and white for christmas
Try out some of your own combinations and please feel free to share them either in the comments below or on the Facebook and Twitter pages! Feel free to subscribe the blog, and enjoy your checkerboard cakes until next time!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Easter Bunny Cake Topper
Not only did this cake topper look great, it was so simple to make! Much simpler than your friends and family will care to believe, trust me! In fact, I'm going to tell you exactly how you can do it yourself (or any other topper you wish, really). The steps are as easy as can be:
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1. The first thing you'll need to do for this bunny cake topper is find a relatively simple bunny image (Google Images works wonders for this) and print it.
2. Tape the image to a cookie sheet, making sure that it is laying perfectly flat and will not be moving around on you.
3. Tape a layer of waxed paper over the image (this is going to be your working surface, so make sure it's secure). You'll want to use waxed paper because you can see through it to see the outline of your image.
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5. Let the chocolate cool just slightly - you want it to still be liquid, but you don't want to burn yourself if it's too hot.
6. Prepare a decorating bag with a small round tip, and then fill the icing bag with the white chocolate.
7. Follow the outline of your bunny, tracing it with the white chocolate.
8. Fill in the remainder of the bunny (once I'd done this, I also used a spoon to smooth out the chocolate a bit. I still wanted some texture, but not quite as much as filling in the bunny left)
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10. Allow to cool and harden (I put it in the freezer - it doesn't take long, and will keep overnight for use later if desired)
11. Position on the cake, and voila (I stood it up in icing and found that it remained quite stable).
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Easy as can be, right? And it looks pretty nice on that cake! (Which I'll be telling you about in a couple of days, once I have photos of the inside, because there is quite a surprise in there awaiting you! You can subscribe to the RSS feed to find out about that post ASAP) This can be done in smaller versions for cupcakes, and of course you can use any image for any time of year. This process can also be done with buttercream icing to make an icing transfer by simply allowing each colour and layer of buttercream to freeze entirely before moving on to the next layer of colour.
Try out your own cake toppers and leave a comment about how it works! Better yet, check out the Cake Confections Facebook and Twitter pages and let me know about your cake toppers!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Bacon Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes
While flipping through The Cupcake Diaries early this week, a recipe caught my eye - Bacon Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes. I wasn't sure whether to cringe or not because I'd never considered bacon as a cupcake ingredient. My curiosity got the better of me though, and I knew that I had to try these cupcakes, if for no other reason than to discover whether or not they were as gross as a little part of me imagined they could be (for the record, they were most definitely not gross).
I was not exactly sure what to expect with these. They had the potential to go one of two ways - delicious, or disgusting. They fared on the delicious side, as I was pleasantly surprised to find. The flavours go surprisingly well together, the cupcakes stay moist due to the maple syrup in them, and the salty bacon is offset nicely by the sweet blueberries. I highly recommend that you all give these a try! And, in hindsight, considering my love of breakfast foods, I'm not sure how I could have doubted these little gems.
This recipe will make you 24 cupcakes, for which you'll need:
6 slices maple bacon
1 3/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or an additional 1-2 tsp vanilla)
1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Maple Cream Cheese Icing:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 sticks)
8 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin pans with baking cups or grease them to avoid sticking. Fry the bacon until very crunchy, sprinkle with the 1tsp of sugar, and then remove from the heat, strain the grease, and chop up into fine bits. Set the bacon aside for use later. Next, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set it aside as well.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each. Combine the vanilla, vanilla bean seeds (if using) and milk in a liquid measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk mixtures, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Mix slowly until just combined. Add the maple syrup, mixing slowly. Then, using a spatula, gently fold the bacon bits and blueberries into the batter.
Scoop the batter into baking cups and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool entirely.
For the frosting, combine all the ingredients in the stand mixer and beat until smooth and well combined. Turn the mixer to high speed for a couple of minutes at the end to get a light, whipped icing. Ice the cooled cupcakes as desired, and voila!
Let me know what you think of these cupcakes! The great thing about them is that, you could conceivably legitimize eating them for breakfast. Bacon, blueberry pancakes, maple syrup, cream cheese - all legitimate breakfast foods. And what could be better for breakfast than dessert? I have yet to discover an answer to that. Maybe you could make these into your Sunday morning family breakfast. I'm sure they'll thank you for it!
If you're considering bacon in your dessert, here are a few other options if blueberry isn't for you (and please let me know the results if you try any of these!):
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes
Bacon Cupcakes: Sunny Side Up
Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
Enjoy the weekend, and please feel free to subscribe to the blog or visit the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages for more delicious updates!
This recipe will make you 24 cupcakes, for which you'll need:
6 slices maple bacon
1 3/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or an additional 1-2 tsp vanilla)
1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Maple Cream Cheese Icing:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 sticks)
8 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each. Combine the vanilla, vanilla bean seeds (if using) and milk in a liquid measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk mixtures, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Mix slowly until just combined. Add the maple syrup, mixing slowly. Then, using a spatula, gently fold the bacon bits and blueberries into the batter.
For the frosting, combine all the ingredients in the stand mixer and beat until smooth and well combined. Turn the mixer to high speed for a couple of minutes at the end to get a light, whipped icing. Ice the cooled cupcakes as desired, and voila!
Let me know what you think of these cupcakes! The great thing about them is that, you could conceivably legitimize eating them for breakfast. Bacon, blueberry pancakes, maple syrup, cream cheese - all legitimate breakfast foods. And what could be better for breakfast than dessert? I have yet to discover an answer to that. Maybe you could make these into your Sunday morning family breakfast. I'm sure they'll thank you for it!
If you're considering bacon in your dessert, here are a few other options if blueberry isn't for you (and please let me know the results if you try any of these!):
Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes
Bacon Cupcakes: Sunny Side Up
Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
Enjoy the weekend, and please feel free to subscribe to the blog or visit the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages for more delicious updates!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Springtime = Caketime
What I really wanted to talk about was how simple it was to make this cake, though some of the details look quite intricate. What you'll take away from this post is not only a simple way to make pretty cakes, but also that I'm a bit lazy (well, not lazy per se, but I sure wouldn't take the time to craft each flower on my own).
Next, I divided gum paste into three sections, colouring them blue, pink, and brown respectively. I've come to find that gum paste is much nicer to work with than fondant, so I chose it for the decorations as opposed to the fondant that I'd usually used previously.
Now, here's the real trick - gum paste molds. They are quite possibly the easiest thing to use, honestly. There are several different Wilton ones to choose from, and I chose a spring themed one. Simply dust the molds with corn starch (I'm sure icing sugar would work well too) and then push the gum paste into the molds. Carefully remove the gum paste and trim any areas that may need trimming. Voila, easy peasy.
To attach the gum paste, I used a small brush and sum water but you can of course use gum glue. Once the pieces were attached, I painted sugar dust onto the flowers for some extra dimension. The cake was a hit, and I think (despite my protest that it was much easier than it looked) I was given much more credit than necessary for this quick little cake. It really does look like spring in a cake though, and tasted alright too!
For more updates, ideas, and general cake banter subscribe to the blog or visit the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages! Until next time!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Having said that, thank you for waiting! I hope that you enjoy these cupcakes as much as I did because they were completely fantastic! I found the original recipe via Pinterest. They stayed extremely moist (although they were a bit sticky) and the glaze was a welcomed change from the usual vast amounts of frosting. These were also a great way to welcome the warm weather we've been having. I'm generally against using cake mix, but for these I've made an exception!
For the cupcakes, you'll need:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 package instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pink lemonade concentrate
4 drops pink food colour (optional)
Additional 1 cup pink lemonade concentrate
1/2 cup sugar
For the glaze, you'll need:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the cake and pudding mixes, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, food colour, and first portion (1/2 cup) of lemonade concentrate. Beat all of the ingredients together and then pour into the prepared muffin pans. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Once the cupcakes are baked, and have cooled ever so slightly, combine the second portion of lemonade concentrate and the sugar. Poke holes, using a fork, in the surface of the cupcakes and then pour the sugar and lemonade mixture over the cupcakes so that the liquid enters the holes in the cupcakes. This will keep the cupcakes extremely moist (although fair warning, they will be sticky).
Once the cupcakes are ready, enjoy! They are the perfect summer cupcake. They're a little bit sweet and a little bit refreshing and a lot delicious. This was my first time making a glaze for any sort of cake so I was happy with how it turned out, and I'll definitely be adding these Pink Lemonade Cupcakes to my recipe book!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Guiness Chocolate Cupcakes
In honour of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to make something a little festive this week - namely, Guiness Chocolate Cupcakes. Fair warning, however, that these are probably not suitable for children. If you're familiar with Irish Car Bombs (an alcoholic beverage), you'll understand why. If not, I'll take a second here to explain. An Irish Car Bomb is a shot consisting of Bailey's Irish Cream and Irish Whiskey that is dropped into a glass of Guiness and chugged. From what I've been told, it is smooth and delicious if you drink it fast enough, but can curdle if you take too long. These cupcakes are based on this particular beverage, which doesn't quite sound delicious to me in beverage format, but let me tell you that in dessert it's a fantastic combination.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this recipe while on Pinterest a few days ago, and you can find the original recipe on a fantastic blog, Brown Eyed Baker, but I'll also be sharing it with you below so that you can experience these delightful cupcakes (I'll be sure to mention the slight variations I used)! The Guiness in the chocolate cupcakes keeps them moist and delicious and provides only the subtlest flavour. The faint hint of Irish Whiskey in the chocolate ganache is a perfect offset to the chocolate, and the Bailey's Butter Cream icing is buttery and smooth and outstanding. These cupcakes also got rave reviews from those who tried them, so without further adieu:
For the cupcakes, you'll need:
1 cup Guiness Stout (I used Guiness Draught rather than the Stout, as Stout generally has a stronger flavour that I wasn't sure I'd enjoy - and they didn't have any Stout when I shopped for ingredients)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For the chocolate ganache, you'll need:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate ( I used half unsweetened chocolate, and half semi-sweet chocolate rather than bittersweet)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tsp Irish Whiskey
For the Bailey's Butter Cream, you'll need:
2 cups butter, room temperature
5 cups icing sugar
6 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with 24 baking cups. Bring the Guiness and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and add the cocoa powder. Whisk the mixture until smooth and then allow to cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and then set it aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sour cream and eggs until combined. Add the Guiness chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating briefly to combine the ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the batter to ensure everything is combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the baking cups and bake the cupcakes for approximately 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
To make the ganache, finely chop the chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it comes to a boil and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Remove the cream from the stove and pour over the chocolate. Stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in the whiskey and butter and combine well. Let the ganache cool until thick but smooth enough to pipe.
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To make the frosting, cream together the butter and icing sugar on medium speed and then add in the Bailey's. Whip until light and fluffy.
Using a cupcake corer, remove the centres of the cupcakes, and fill with chocolate ganache. Follow with the buttercream icing and decorate as desired.
And voila, delicious Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Be sure to subscribe to the blog and check out the Facebook and Twitter pages for updates! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this recipe while on Pinterest a few days ago, and you can find the original recipe on a fantastic blog, Brown Eyed Baker, but I'll also be sharing it with you below so that you can experience these delightful cupcakes (I'll be sure to mention the slight variations I used)! The Guiness in the chocolate cupcakes keeps them moist and delicious and provides only the subtlest flavour. The faint hint of Irish Whiskey in the chocolate ganache is a perfect offset to the chocolate, and the Bailey's Butter Cream icing is buttery and smooth and outstanding. These cupcakes also got rave reviews from those who tried them, so without further adieu:
For the cupcakes, you'll need:
1 cup Guiness Stout (I used Guiness Draught rather than the Stout, as Stout generally has a stronger flavour that I wasn't sure I'd enjoy - and they didn't have any Stout when I shopped for ingredients)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
For the chocolate ganache, you'll need:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate ( I used half unsweetened chocolate, and half semi-sweet chocolate rather than bittersweet)
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2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tsp Irish Whiskey
For the Bailey's Butter Cream, you'll need:
2 cups butter, room temperature
5 cups icing sugar
6 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with 24 baking cups. Bring the Guiness and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and add the cocoa powder. Whisk the mixture until smooth and then allow to cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and then set it aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sour cream and eggs until combined. Add the Guiness chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating briefly to combine the ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the batter to ensure everything is combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the baking cups and bake the cupcakes for approximately 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
To make the ganache, finely chop the chocolate and place it in a heat proof bowl. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it comes to a boil and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Remove the cream from the stove and pour over the chocolate. Stir the chocolate and cream until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in the whiskey and butter and combine well. Let the ganache cool until thick but smooth enough to pipe.
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To make the frosting, cream together the butter and icing sugar on medium speed and then add in the Bailey's. Whip until light and fluffy.
Using a cupcake corer, remove the centres of the cupcakes, and fill with chocolate ganache. Follow with the buttercream icing and decorate as desired.
And voila, delicious Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. Be sure to subscribe to the blog and check out the Facebook and Twitter pages for updates! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Maple Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe
Here is the recipe for the Maple Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. I found this in the Cupcake Diaries, and absolutely loved it! Pair it with a maple cream cheese frosting, or a chocolate ganache icing. The book says that this recipe yields 12 cupcakes, however I found that it made 24.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
seeds from one vanilla been (or an additional 1-2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line two cupcake pans with baking cups, or grease and prepare pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set the dry ingredients aside. Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
Combine vanilla, vanilla seeds (if using), and milk in a large liquid measuring cup. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix until just combined. Add in the maple syrup and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin pans and bake 18-20 minutes.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
seeds from one vanilla been (or an additional 1-2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line two cupcake pans with baking cups, or grease and prepare pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set the dry ingredients aside. Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
Combine vanilla, vanilla seeds (if using), and milk in a large liquid measuring cup. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix until just combined. Add in the maple syrup and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin pans and bake 18-20 minutes.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Maple Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Cake Pops How-To
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1. The first thing you'll need to do is bake a cake. I used a basic chocolate cake, and chocolate icing for the cake pops.
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4. Allow the balls to cool in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for a couple hours until they are chilled through and hard.
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6. Coat the cake pops in the melted candy. At this point, you'll want to decorate them (if you're choosing to do so). I used candies to make eyes, faces, etc. You'll want to be careful here. The candy melts, while still wet, will run off the cake pops to some extent and your decorations could run off. However, the candy melts harden quickly, so waiting too long will make it impossible to attach the decorations to the pops.
7. Once the cake pops are dressed to your liking, allow the candy melts to harden completely, and enjoy. While the candy melts were hardening, I used a strainer so that any candy that dripped off had something to drip into, and the holes in the strainer were a good size to hold the pops apart from each other while they were drying.
The cake pops turned out alright. They were not nearly as pretty as I would have liked, however there is something of a learning curve when it comes to getting them to look nice. Until I've mastered the art of decorating them though, I'm just going to say they're supposed to be alien cake pops. And now, you know how to make them too!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
So far, this has proven to be the best Red Velvet recipe I've used. Ones with less cocoa tend to be a bit more bland (the Cake Boss recipe only calls for 1tbsp of cocoa), so these were perfect. They also stayed nice and moist. I did have to make a special grocery store trip to buy apple cider vinegar though, as it wasn't something we had in the pantry to that point in time. The Cupcake Diaries says this recipe makes 12 cupcakes, but it actually yields about 24.
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large, room temperature eggs
4 tbsp red food colour (no-taste liquid food colour - no taste is important because it can give off a slightly bitter taste otherwise)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350F and line standard cupcakes pans with baking cups or grease pans. Sift together flour and salt and set aside. In stand mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.
In a separate bowl, using a whisk, whisk together the food colour, vanilla, and cocoa powder and then slowly add the mixture to the mixer bowl, mixing slowly until well mixed. Add flour and milk alternately in thirds, scraping the bowl as needed and mixing until incorporated.
In a small bowl, add baking soda to the apple cider vinegar, mix thoroughly (you will see them react to one another) and then add the mixture to the batter and mix only until just incorporated.
Fill each muffin well until it is 2/3 full and then bake for 16-18 minutes (I found that these took closer to 20 minutes, but it will vary with each oven, whether it is convection or not, how full muffin wells are, etc.)
Cream Cheese Frosting
The cream cheese frosting I used for the filled Red Velvet cupcakes came from Cupcake Diaries, although I used more vanilla than the recipe suggested. I also used this recipe with the Maple Chocolate Chip Cupcakes by adding 1/4 cup maple syrup to the mixture.
4 tbsp butter (1/4 cup)
6 oz cream cheese (3/4 brick of cream cheese)
4 cups icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla (I use about 1 tsp)
1/4 cup maple syrup (if making maple cream cheese frosting)
Beat all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer until well combined and smooth. I like to beat my icing on high for a couple of minutes once everything is combined to make the icing lighter (unless I'm covering it with fondant or something where it's going to be flattened anyway).
4 tbsp butter (1/4 cup)
6 oz cream cheese (3/4 brick of cream cheese)
4 cups icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla (I use about 1 tsp)
1/4 cup maple syrup (if making maple cream cheese frosting)
Beat all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer until well combined and smooth. I like to beat my icing on high for a couple of minutes once everything is combined to make the icing lighter (unless I'm covering it with fondant or something where it's going to be flattened anyway).
Favourite Chocolate Cake
I originally found the recipe for this cake on the Wilton website, and it has easily become one of my absolute favourite cakes, and by far my favourite chocolate cake. It stays really moist and tastes great with butter cream icing (vanilla or chocolate). A word of warning though, the chocolate chips can cause the cake to stick to the bottom of the pan. This can be avoided by putting the chocolate chips in a few minutes after the cake has been in the oven so that they don't sink right to the bottom.
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided into 1 cup portions
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare your pans by flouring them, lining them with parchment, or spraying them with a non-stick spray.
In a microwave safe bowl, or on the stove in a double boiler, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with the butter until completely melted. Pour chocolate into a larger bowl and add the sugar, beating at a low speed until the sugar is well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Once everything is well combined, add 1/2 cup flour, the baking soda, and salt. Mix well, and then continue to add the remaining 2 cups of flour and the water. I find at this stage that its helpful to alternate between the two in small amounts as it reduces the flour that flies everywhere. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and pour the batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 35-40 minutes (depending on your oven, and the size of the pans used). When a tooth pick comes out clean, the cake is ready. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, before removing and allowing it to cool completely on a rack.
Chocolate Ganache
This recipe is pretty simple and makes a great filling for cupcakes/cakes or as a glaze on your favourite desserts! I found the original on All Recipes, however the original called for bittersweet chocolate and I opted to use semi-sweet instead, and chose not to add the suggested rum.
1 cup heavy cream
9 oz semi-sweet bakers chocolate, finely chopped (if you're using chocolate bakers squares this is 9 squares)
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm cream until just boiling - do not over boil. Remove cream from heat and pour over finely chopped chocolate in a separate bowl. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until all of the chocolate has melted into the cream. Allow to cool slightly for use as a glaze, or cool completely and then beat for use as filling.
Basic Butter Cream Recipe
This is the icing I use for the majority of my decorating. In fact, I've used it so often that I've got it memorized now. The amount of milk needed will vary depending on the consistency of icing you're looking for.
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups icing sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk
Cream the shortening and butter together until they're well blended and have achieved a light, creamy texture. Add in the vanilla and beat at a medium speed until well mixed. Add the icing sugar, stopping often to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Once the icing sugar has been added, the icing will be stiff and dry. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed. When you have achieved the desired consistency, your icing is ready to use.
For chocolate butter cream, add 4 squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate.
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups icing sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk
Cream the shortening and butter together until they're well blended and have achieved a light, creamy texture. Add in the vanilla and beat at a medium speed until well mixed. Add the icing sugar, stopping often to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Once the icing sugar has been added, the icing will be stiff and dry. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed. When you have achieved the desired consistency, your icing is ready to use.
For chocolate butter cream, add 4 squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Taste the Rainbow Cake!
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Original challenge photo |
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Chocolate Ganache-Filled Red Velvet Cupcakes
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Recently, however, I purchased a cupcake corer from Golda's Kitchen. This is what I used when making my sister's cupcakes, and it made filling them a very easy, straightforward process. All you need to do is:
1. Bake cupcakes of choice, as per insturctions
2. Allow cupcakes to cool (you don't want to core them while they're too warm or you'll risk breaking the cupcake)
3. Position corer over centre of cupcake and gently push downward
4. Once corer has been inserted into the cupcake, twist the corer back and forth to cut the inside of the cupcake
And voila, cored cupcakes, ready to be filled. If you're using the ganache, like I did, you'll want to make sure it's cooled before filling the cupcakes. Once they're filled as desire, ice your cupcakes and enjoy!
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