F is for Fun with Fondant!

Today, I decided to play around with some Fondant, and boy was I surprised at how easy it was to use!

Now, I know that fondant isn't a cupcake flavor per say, however it is an important component in cupcake decorating; One I felt that I needed to explore on my cupcake journey. 

I purchased small cutters to use to cut out shapes from the fondant. I will be perfectly honest and say that I did not make this fondant, but I did color it myself. What an arm workout! Between kneading it and rolling it out, I'm sore.

I personally don't like the taste of fondant, I would rather have buttercream, but they do give the cupcakes a "cleaner" look and provide for endless possibilities where cupcake decorating is concerned. I am excited to get more creative with fondant!

Have a great night everyone and thank you!

E is for Earl Gray Tea Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

I am feeling very Martha Stewart today with these unique cupcakes. Its not everyday that you hear of an "Earl Grey Tea" cupcake. The idea came to me after watching a recent episode of the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars".

These cupcakes are like nothing I've ever tasted before. I am absolutely in love with them! I decided to frost them with a spatula, to give them a more "rustic" look. The lemon buttercream is the perfect compliment to these delicious cakes. If you look closely you can see the bits of tea and lemon zest in the frosting.

I can totally picture these at a Bridal Shower or Baby Shower :).

Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

D is for Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Today's cupcake is Devil's Food with Chocolate Ganache Frosting. I know, I know, you're all thinking, "Finally, some chocolate!". I promise you, these were worth the wait. I think we are really on to something here. 

So what the heck is Devil's Food Cake? Well, in a nutshell Devil's food cake is generally more moist and airy than other chocolate cakes, and often uses cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) as opposed to chocolate for the flavor (Wikipedia told me so). Some recipes include coffee, but if you know me, you know I don't do coffee, so no coffee in these guys. I think they are called Devil's Food because they are sinfully delicious!

Brett & I agree that these are less sweet than regular chocolate cupcakes and we consider that to be a good thing! I made my first batch of mini cupcakes today too, and they are just darling. Tonight I want to tell you that sifting is a good thing (if you read my last post, you understand why I am telling you this). 

With chocolate on my elbow, in my wedding ring, and in my hair, I can say that although these were a lot of work, they were worth it. I'm even pleased with the chocolate curls on top! 

I hope you enjoyed today's cupcakes and will continue to follow my blog! We are working on a website so watch for that soon. Have a wonderful evening :)

C is NOT for Chocolate or Carrot Cake....It's for COCONUT CREAM!

Tonight I made Coconut cupcakes, with coconut cream filling, and cream cheese frosting. Thank you to my hubby for his help with the filling (he makes an awesome one!). This was my first time filling cupcakes, and it was fun and simple. I just cut out a little hole in the middle with a knife, filled it up, put the top of the piece that on cut back on as a lid, and frosted. Then I dipped them in sweetened coconut, mmmmmmm!

These were definitely "eat with a fork" cupcakes because of the filling and coconut on top. I thought the coconut may be overwhelming (the recipe has coconut milk, coconut extract, and actual coconut), but the flavor was surprisingly subtle. In the future, I will be sure to sift the dry ingredients, because although the recipe did not say to do this, the cupcakes were not quite as moist as I would have hoped. Oh well, lesson learned! I hope you enjoy! 

P.S. I think we are due for a new camera :/ Night lighting isn't as conducive to cupcake pictures as daytime!

Day Off!

No Cupcakes today....It would be a bad choice, since Brett doesn't work on the weekends, I would be stuck with a dozen cupcakes here...and well...you all know who would end up eating them. A lot of people are asking me, "What are you doing with all of the cupcakes you bake?". And that is your answer. They go to work with Brett. But if anyone ever wants to taste them, let me know!

So I bet everyone is wondering, "What will she make for C?". Some guesses have been Carrot Cake, and the obvious Chocolate. But I will tell you that I won't be making either of those. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday to find out :)

Today I have 8 followers! Woo-hoo! Thanks everyone :)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

B is for Banana! Banana Cupcakes with Caramel Glaze

Today's cupcake is Banana with a Caramel Glaze drizzle. These are sticky, gooey and messy.....and so much fun! Brett (my husband) and I agree that the next batch needs some frosting before the glaze. But they were still delicious! This recipe is also from scratch. I have determined that baking from scratch is easier and cheaper than using boxes; Therefore, I am a homemade baker from here on out! This was also my first time making caramel, and its much easier than those food network stars make it out to be (cough * cough* Giada.....I still love her though!). Enjoy!

I am so happy to have 4 followers!!!! Thanks everyone for your support and for reading :) 

A is for Apple- Apple Cinnamon with Spiced Vanilla Frosting that is!

Today's cupcake is an Apple Cinnamon cupcake with spiced vanilla frosting. These cupcakes were so much fun to make because I had to grate the apples! You know, with a cheese grater. I also added nutmeg and cinnamon to vanilla frosting for an extra touch. No pre-made mix for me today, these cupcakes are 100% homemade, and mighty tasty if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading :)

Just warming up

Today marks the first day of the beginning of my adventure with cupcakes. In the posts that follow, I will bake my way through the alphabet, developing all kinds of cupcakes. My hope is to have some fun & learn a little bit about baking!

Tonight, I made vanilla bean cupcakes (from a mix at fresh 'n easy) with homemade buttercream frosting. I piped the frosting onto the cupcakes with a 1M tip and & piping bag (you can use good ol' ziploc bags, they are much cheaper). Not bad for day 1 :)

I'm excited to see where my cupcakes will take me!

Thanks for reading.