Strawberry Brownie To-Go Cupcakes

Yes, you guessed it, I saw these on Pinterest and had to try them. I thought I should post them before Valentine's Day. They were the best cupcakes ever (in my opinion)! They are brownie and strawberry cupcakes with vanilla icing. I preferred them sans the icing, but I'm not a huge icing fan. They were appealing because they are so cute, but also because I was able to make them milk-free. I made these for my mother-in-laws birthday. We were all meeting up at a restaurant so baking them in ice cream cups was a perfect solution to traveling with them. My ice cream cups came with lids and little wrapped wooden spoons. I was really happy with how they turned out and they got rave reviews. Everyone loved the idea of the cup, it was great because there was no mess while eating it! Monk would have been so proud.

This recipe was originally found on All Recipes (one of my favorite recipe sites). Reviewers complained of two things. First, that the brownie stuck to paper wrappers. Someone suggested adding a little cake batter in before adding the brownie batter. I tried this on the paper wrappers and it worked fine. For the ice cream cups, I just sprayed them with a bit of Pam and added the brownie batter first. Second, people complained that the brownie didn't cook as fast as the cake and ended up gooey. I simply added the brownie batter to the cups and baked them for about 5 minutes. I then removed them, added the cake batter and cooked them until the cake was finished. You can do less than 5 minutes depending on  how fudgy you like the brownies, but not more. Problem solved!

I used Pillsbury Strawberry Cake, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chip Brownie Mix, and Pillsbury canned Vanilla Frosting. I chose these because they are all made without milk, however they do have a warning that they may be processed on equipment shared with items that contain milk.

Baked in the paper wrapper:

These are baked in ice cream cups and wrapped up for traveling.

Only the birthday girl had this special writing that was made from Wilton Candy Chips.

Milk Free Strawberry Cake

First Birthday Cake

I will make a brief appearance today to share with you a cake I made last weekend. I made this at the request of my sister-in-law for my nieces' first birthday party. Her children both have severe milk allergies. So she asked if I could just use store bought strawberry cake mix and Duncan Hines Vanilla Frosting. Both are milk free.

Let me tell you, I'm not used to working with gooey soft store bought icing, so it was a bit of a challenge. Her colors were blue, pink, and black and white. This is what I came up with. It's not my best work, but she was really happy with it. I simply removed the top layer for the birthday girl so she could dig into it and we cut and served the bottom layer to the guests. The birthday girl was so cute, she made a giant hole through the side straight into the middle like she was trying to eat her way to China! I think she liked the strawberry filling!

The black letters are her name that went all the way around the cake. In hindsight, I would have done that differently, because you have to turn the cake to see her full name.

I used Fonderific Fondant in white because it was the only brand I could find that was milk free. I used Wilton Sky Blue and Duff's Electric Pink to color the icing and fondant. After I cut the letters, I used a food safe marker to color them black. It was a lot easier than trying to make black fondant.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

In my Teacher Appreciation Week post I mentioned that I was going to make these caramel apple cupcakes I found on Tidy Mom's blog. Have you been to her blog? You'll love it I'm sure. Well, I made them and they were more than amazing. Her Cinnamon Buttercream is the best buttercream I've ever had. And I'm not a fan of buttercream at all. I dropped some off at Nash's school in the morning and by noon the secretary was calling. I immediately got worried something was wrong with Nash, but she said she wanted to place a cupcake order for an upcoming baby shower. She is the best kind of customer. You know, the kind that says, do what ever you want, be creative. Honestly, I really do love those customers. Then if you screw something up they'll never know that's not what you had planned!

On to the recipe. You start with a box of Duncan Hines Decadent Caramel Apple Cake mix.

Simply follow the instructions for cupcakes on the back of the box.

*Note: The instructions call for mixing the caramel and spooning it on top of the cupcake batter and then swirling it with a knife. I had trouble with this step. Next time, I think I will add the caramel mixture to a piping bag and use a small tip to pipe it in little swirls. It was difficult to spread it with the knife because it's so thick and it ended up being kind of clumpy.

Next, click here for Tidy Mom's Cinammon Buttercream recipe. It's basically regular buttercream with the addition of cinamonn and some vanilla bean paste, which I found at a gourmet market and I loved. I have never used it before, but I will use it often. She also uses cream instead of milk. She adds corn syrup to the frosting, but I inadvertently left it out and it was fine. I'm not sure why she added it, but maybe it was to make the frosting more manageable. I bet you could use piping gel for the same purpose.

I purchased these adorable glasses from Starbucks the same day I made these cupcakes, so I thought I would use them as props!

I love taking pictures of cupcakes.

The sit still, they don't make funny faces, and they have an endless amount of patience.

Thanks for a great recipe Tidy Mom, it's a keeper!

Seashell Cupcakes & Candy Mold Tutorial

 
Last week I made these cupcakes for a lady who was having a seashell themed bridal shower. These were pretty easy to make, but they look really impressive. Painting the candy is a bit tedious and time-consuming but I felt it to be quite relaxing. I purchased my supplies from my local cake decorating shop. They have a large variety of molds and chocolate. I skipped Michael's for this project, but they may have some supplies too.

How to Make and Paint Candy From Molds

Supplies:

1 lb. good quality tempered chocolate {I used Merckens}

Plastic Candy Molds

Luster Dust

Paint Brushes

Gloves

There are two ways to melt your chocolate. You can use a double boiler or you can use the microwave. I chose the microwave method because I think it's easier. Also if you use the double boiler method and get water or steam in your chocolate can streak or harden. So, grab a large glass microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. For 1 pound of chocolate you only need to melt it for 1-minute on full power. I did it at half power and stirred at 30 second intervals. Even if the chocolate isn't completely melted stir it, it will melt as you stir it together.  Total melting time should not exceed 2-3 minutes.

Chocolate will melt at about 100 degrees. If you heat it over 125 degrees, it will return to a solid mass. Also if it cools too much it will have whitish streaks when molded. If this happens just re-melt the chocolate and mold again.

Chocolate molds should be clean and dry. Never put water, oil, cooking spray, or cornstarch in the molds when using them for chocolates. Never put them in the dishwasher, just use dish soap and hot water to clean them.

When molding, it's better to UNDER FILL molds. Over-filling causes feet to form on the chocolate. Simply use a spoon to carefully fill the mold. Always work in a cool room. Ideal temperature is 62-65 degrees. The cooler the room, the more shine they will have.

This is what they will look like before you tap them.

 Now, gently tap them on the counter and they look like this:

Once you have filled your molds, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or freeze for 5-7 minutes. After they're chilled they should have a "frosty" appearance. If they still look shiny, they should be chilled a few minutes longer.

To unmold, simple turn over and tap them out over a cookie sheet. You may have to bend them a little like you would an ice cube tray then just tap your finger over the chocolate to release it.

Working in your cool room, wearing latex like gloves, dip your brush into your luster dust. You DO NOT need water. You just paint or dust your candies. You can use a single color or apply coats in different colors. You should end up with something like this:

 

Bear & Baseball Cupcakes & How To Add Filling to Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes yesterday and donated them to our Little League snack bar for them to sell. I was pretty happy with how they turned out and they were pretty simple to create. I had some leftover icing from the Bridal Shower cupcake order I had over the weekend so I just used that. I used Funfetti cake mix and filled them {using a 12 tip} with Marshmallow Creme. I made these little baseball toppers from white chocolate, a candy mold, and a red food writer pen. I promise I will get the candy mold tutorial up this week.

For the Sunbathing Bear Cupcakes I used a Wilton 107 tip for the waves, graham cracker crumbs for the sand, sour candy strips for the towel, a gummy bear, and the umbrella. I pasted the towel on with a dollop of icing and I wet the bottom of the gummy bear and placed him of the towel. You could obviously use Teddy Graham's too if you prefer.

Here is a simple photo tutorial for how to fill cupcakes. I don't bother scooping out any of the cake. I have found that to be an unnecessary step. I've filled cupcakes with jam, icing, and marshmallow creme and I've never had any problems doing it this way.

Slowly begin to apply pressure to your piping bag. As soon as you see your cupcakes begin to plump it's time to stop. Release pressure from the bag and remove from cupcake.You can use a small spatula, spoon or butter knife to scrape off the excess on top shown in step 3. 

Teacher Appreciation Week Schedule of Events

If you have kids in school you will be celebrating their teachers sometime this month for {TAW} Teacher Appreciation Week. I adore Chloe's teacher and she has had such a difficult year I really want to make next week special for her. In my opinion she deserves so much more than anything I can prepare, but I hope the children's effort will have an impact. I'm the room mom, so the responsibility falls on me.

I have been working all day on planning out each day for her next week. Monday, I'll decorate her door with cute notes from her students. I will pre-print some cardstock that I will cut with a large scallop punch, with something like "Mrs. Jacob's is special because....". I'll be sending them home later this week for the kids to fill in the blank and return Monday morning. Tuesday each student brings in a single flower to form a bouquet, Wednesday they will each bring in a piece of candy, Thursday a piece of fruit and Friday a picture or hand-written letter. In addition to coordinating gift giving for the whole class, Chloe and I have a few special gifts to give her as well, like bringing her lunch, a Barnes and Noble giftcard, and the note card holder below.

There are so many fabulous gift ideas floating around Blog Land. I've picked two that suit my needs. I was asked to make cupcakes for the teacher luncheon and I have decided on these from Apple Caramel  Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream from Tidy Mom.



I also chose this super simple and cute handmade note holder from Domesticated Lady. She has lots of great ideas for TAW, so I would encourage you to stop by her blog if you need some inspiration.

Giverslog is also a great blog to visit anytime you are in need of gift ideas. That's what her blog is all about, after all!

As if TAW didn't keep me busy enough, I also have FOUR custom baking orders this week. That would be a record for me. Maybe next time I learn how to say NO, there's a thought. But, I do like a challenge and I will get some good photos for the portfolio. I'm sure I'll be posting the photos next week.

Separately, I have to mention that Chloe got the game ball at one of her games last week. It's pretty cool that not only is she the only girl on the team, but she plays really important positions like first base and pitcher. Oh, and she's a power hitter too! Her game ball was well deserved, but she also had a really incredible game this Saturday, maybe her best ever. I'm so proud of her. I'm always hearing other parents talk about what a great player she is. On Saturday even parents and kids from the opposing team were complimenting her play. Parents always ask me where she gets her talent, she gets it from me of course! That might be a stretch. Either way, it's a real thrill to watch her!

Green Velvet Cupcakes & {Doctored Store-Bought Icing}

St. Patrick's Day Green Velvet Cupcakes

I had so much fun during this cupcake photo shoot! I'm so happy with the way these photos turned out I posted a ton of them! I was inspired by these cute mint M & M's that I bought.

I adapted The Cake Doctor's

Quick Red Velvet Cake recipe for these cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 box white cake with pudding in the mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 {or less} of a 1-ounce bottle green food coloring

3 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbls. cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. Add all ingredients to a mixer. Mix on low for one minute and medium for 2-3 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fill liners with batter with an ice cream scoop. One scoop per liner. Bake for 17 minutes. Cool. Frost. 

For the frosting....oh the frosting! Besides the fact that I HATE making icing it didn't matter. I didn't have any powdered sugar, but I did have a ton of canned frosting. So I doctored it. I had 1 and 1/2 cans of vanilla frosting and 1 and 1/2 chocolate frosting.  I also had a cube of cream cheese. I started by adding the chilled vanilla frosting to to the mixer along with the cream cheese. I mixed it thoroughly. Then I removed and set aside half of that frosting to frost half of my cupcakes. To the rest of the vanilla frosting in the mixer, I added the chilled 1 and 1/2 tubs of chocolate frosting and mixed it thoroughly. I frosted the other half of the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and topped them all with chopped mint M & M's.

I loved the contrast here with the green, blue, and brown.

This post is link to all my sidebar food blog hops

and the newest one I was invited over 

@ Mom's Crazy Cooking