Cupcake Crown!

I'm so very excited to announce I've entered my Peppermint Mocha cupcakes into Celebrations.com's Cupcake Crown competition! This is completely popular-vote driven, so it's up to you my friends to determine the winners! As my loyal visitors and friends know, there are few things I love more than creating both a tasty and beautiful cupcake, so if you'd like take a visit and place a vote for my cupcake - it would be much appreciated :) You can place one vote per day, so visit as often as you'd like - as you can see, the prizes are quite nice and wow, can't imagine winning the Cupcake Crown!!
http://www.celebrations.com/cupcakecrown/2012/cupcake/peppermint-mocha-cupcake

Shark Birthday

Admit it - you heard the music to Jaws in your head when you saw this cake, didn't you?! It's okay, I did too. :) Fluffy vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details - even the friendly Birthday shark! How do I know he's friendly? Well that's a silly question - can't you see he's smiling?

Pink and Brown Polka Dot Wedding Reception

Such a lovely color combination for a wedding reception! The bride requested the same design I'd used on an earlier cake, but in her colors of pink and brown, then I made cupcake toppers to continue that color scheme! The cake was fresh strawberry with white chocolate buttercream filling, covered in fondant, with a gum paste topper and fondant details. Half the cupcakes were fresh strawberry with cream cheese frosting, the other half were vanilla with chocolate buttercream frosting, both with fondant toppers.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

An Italian themed luncheon for my Son's teachers proved the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe I've had stashed away in my "to-do" file - Tiramisu cupcakes! Extremely light, fluffy vanilla bean cupcakes, double-brushed with coffee syrup, topped with mascarpone cream cheese frosting, a dusting of cocoa powder and a chocolate coffee bean!

Ingredients:

* For the cake
* 1 1/4 cups cake flour
* 3/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
* 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
* 3 large eggs + 3 egg yolks, at room temp
* 1 cup sugar
* For the coffee syrup
* 8 Tbsp strongly brewed coffee
* 1/4 cup sugar
* For the frosting
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 8oz mascarpone
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
* Chocolate coffee beans, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line two muffin pans with paper liners (24 total). Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, add milk, butter, vanilla bean paste, and butter. Heat in 15 second intervals until butter is melted.
2. Whisk the eggs by hand over a simmering pot of water for 6 minutes, until warm. Then move mixer bowl to your stand mixer. Whisk mixture until pale, fluffy and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when the whisk is lifted.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer set on low, add flour mixture and slowly add the milk mixture, mixing until just combined. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and a skewer comes out clean. Let sit in pan until just warm to the touch. Using a knife or fork, gently poke 4-5 holes in each cupcake (you want to give the syrup a way to travel down the cupcake but you don't want to tear up the cupcake).
4. To make the coffee: Mix coffee and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the tops of the cupcakes, letting the first round soak in completely before making another pass. Repeat until all of the syrup has been used.
5. Make the mascarpone frosting: With the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high until stiff peaks just form. Add the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla and whisk on medium-high for 1-2 minutes. Frost cupcakes when they have completely cooled. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate coffee beans.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Why exactly have I never combined chocolate and caramel before? I really can't think of a good reason! Glad I finally got around to it because - wow! These cupcakes were worth the wait! Rich chocolate espresso cupcakes with caramel swiss meringue buttercream, vanilla bean caramel sauce and a sprinkling of sea salt! Yum-E!

Be My Valentine Cupcakes

So I finally had an opportunity to play around with some ideas for Valentine Cupcake toppers - I was inspired by the paper Valentines I remember making when I was little! Did anyone else make those like me? Red or pink construction paper and a white paper doily glued underneath? I really wanted to capture that same spirit with these - only perhaps a little less pasty :) Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream and gum paste toppers!

Sporty Cupcakes

This was a fun cupcake project! A mixture of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and hand made fondant/gum paste toppers representing various sports for a Birthday!

Love Bird Baby Shower Cupcakes

I really had fun working on these - cupcakes to mimic the Bananafish "Love Bird" nursery bedding pattern! Chocolate espresso cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and gum paste toppers.

Softball Birthday Cupcakes

Fun cupcakes for a girl celebrating her 10th Birthday! Chocolate espresso cupcakes with vanilla buttercream "grass", gum paste softballs and #10 toppers! :)

Curious George Birthday

I have had the pleasure of making this little guy's Birthday cakes for three years now - his First Birthday cake was the first outside request I ever actually received (the Mickey Mouse cake with Mouseketeer Hat smash cake) and looking back I remember being terrified! So it's so much fun to see not only how much he's changing and growing, but how I am as well in my skills! :) This year, they went with a Curious George theme, so we designed the cake and cupcakes around his party invitations. The main cake was chocolate with vanilla buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details. I then made chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant toppers to match the cake! Happy 3rd Birthday to a very special little monkey!

John Deere Birthday

Such a fun theme to work with for a little guy's 2nd Birthday! Chocolate cake with all vanilla buttercream frosting decorations and vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant toppers in fun John Deere colors!

Golfer's Birthday

When I received the request for a golf-themed Birthday cake, I knew exactly what I wanted to attempt - a re-creation of Royal Bakery's lovely design! Hers did have an additional tier on the bottom, but as that much cake wasn't needed in this case I just left it off. Lemon pound cake with vanilla buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details made up this golfer's cake! I used colored piping gel for the water hazard, crushed graham crackers for the sand trap and buttercream for the grass at the base of each layer. Had such fun with this cake!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Christmas Tree Toppers

Sadly, my very last Christmas cupcakes :( I surely have enjoyed trying out different flavors and decorating styles this year! These were for my family's get-together - gingerbread cupcakes with brown sugar cinnamon swiss meringue buttercream and gum paste Christmas tree toppers!

Ladybug First Birthday

So I had to dig out of the piles of Christmas wrapping paper and toys to find my cake decorating tools, but so glad I did for this fun project! A ladybug themed First Birthday! There were three dozen cupcakes (one dozen fresh strawberry, one dozen chocolate, one dozen vanilla) all with vanilla buttercream frosting, fondant ladybugs, fondant leaves and fondant toppers bearing the number "1". Then the Birthday girl had her very own matching vanilla "smash cake" with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant accents! I had such fun on this Birthday theme!

Winter Cupcakes

Yes, I have been enjoying my snowflake cutter/embosser this year - can you tell just a little? :) Peppermint Mocha cupcakes with gum paste snowflakes - some brushed with a lemon flavoring/luster dust paint in shades of purple, blue and white - loved playing around with colors a bit! I added white sparkling sugar to a few of the cupcakes as well.

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

Yes, I know - yet another cupcake...but in my defense it's another coffee-infused cupcake! When I saw the recipe by Bakers Royale, I knew at some point in time before Christmas was upon us I'd have to try these out! Coffee-infused, gingerbread cupcakes with a light lemon cream cheese frosting, edged with gingerbread cookie crumbs and topped off with a small army of gingerbread men - what could be more perfect for the Holidays? And to top it all off - your house will smell absolutely divine while they're baking!! You can find the recipe here on the Bakers Royale blog: http://www.bakersroyale.com/cupcakes/gingerbread-latte-cupcakes/

Snowflake Cupcakes

Finally got to use the pretty sparkly snowflake toppers I made! Yay! Cupcakes for Austin's teachers proved the perfect opportunity to use these sparkly beauties! I made my peppermint mocha cupcakes (chocolate espresso cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint buttercream) and topped them with gum paste snowflakes with a touch of shimmer dust and white sprinkles - just right for a Winter treat!

Sugared Cranberry Cupcakes

So I'd had this idea in mind for a while, but as I'm really not that much of a cranberry person...it had to grow on me! Finally, curiosity just got the better of me (plus I had a cute idea for decorating these cupcakes) and I just had to try them! I used my vanilla bean cupcake recipe, then added the fresh cranberry filling, my vanilla bean buttercream and finally, sugared cranberries and sugared fondant holly leaves! I just couldn't have been happier with not only how cute and festive these cupcakes looked, but I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of the filling as well! A little on the tart side, but definitely not too much! I may have to give cranberries another shot after all! :)

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Am I the only one who loves chocolate oranges at Christmastime? I can't be the only one. I mean, the stores do seem to sell quite a few of them after all! Chocolate oranges were always a tradition between my Dad and I when I was young - every Christmas would find him bringing one home for me and he'd crack it open and we'd share the slices - ah, a chocoholic in the making :) When I purchased some Orange Cream flavoring a few weeks ago, I just knew it was destined for cupcake greatness! I started with dark chocolate cupcakes (even threw in a little espresso powder for added kick), then frosted them with cream cheese frosting (with my orange cream flavoring mixed in) added dark chocolate sprinkles and finally - a slice of chocolate orange! And I must say, the overall flavor was quite tasty!

Disney Princess Cupcakes

Really had fun with this cupcake theme! Trying to figure out the most iconic symbols of each princess and portraying them accurately was a fun challenge! Fresh strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream (just love that natural pink color!) with fondant toppers representing different Disney Princesses! There's an apple for Snow White, the glass slipper for Cinderella, a seashell for Ariel, a rose for Belle, Sleeping Beauty's crown and the magic lamp for Jasmine.

Taylor's Rainbow Doodle Cake

So my little girl turned 8 last week - really and truly where does the time go? In my mind, she should still be the little three-foot-tall terror chasing after her brother, trying to keep up! Now she's dangerously close to being as tall as he is (which he's not happy about at two years' her senior)! I first found the idea for this cake on Sweetapolita's blog (one of my absolute favorites!!) and Taylor just fell in love with it! Multi-colored vanilla cake layers with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream filling, covered in plain white fondant - then the fun begins! Taylor used food color markers to cover the outside of her cake however she pleased - a number "8" appeared, a sunshine, her favorite numbers, all our names - she even shared the fun with big brother :) And then when we cut the cake...wow! What a fun present was inside! Happy Birthday to my (big) little girl!

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes (Take Two!)

I'd recently purchased some super cute cupcake liners from one of my favorite stores, Bake It Pretty, and thought making a batch of these cupcakes would be an excellent opportunity to put them to use! Mocha cupcakes with my white chocolate peppermint buttercream, topped off by peppermint candies. Loved the way they looked in these little baking cups!

Candy Land Princess Birthday

This was a pretty good sized order for me - cake plus four dozen cupcakes - but such a fun one to do! I have been dying to make a "candy" themed cake! So glad I finally got my chance :) The cake was vanilla buttermilk with vanilla buttercream filling, covered in fondant. With the exception of a few sour skittles, all the details on the cake were fondant. The crown was gum paste with the Birthday girls' name and age! There were two dozen vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and coordinating gum paste toppers and also two dozen vanilla cupcakes with fresh strawberry buttercream frosting. Loved this party theme!

Duke Hospital Auxiliary Cupcakes

This was a super fun project! Not only did I have the task of creating tiny "Pink Smock" toppers for a Duke Hospital Auxiliary meeting, but I was also given a recipe to try for the cupcakes - one I'd never attempted before :) Fresh apple-pecan cupcakes with a swirl of cream cheese frosting, half topped with pearl sprinkles, half topped with hand cut gum paste/fondant toppers in the Auxiliary store's emblem, a Pink Smock!

Miss Matched Birthday Cake

Another re-do of a previously made birthday cake - but somehow, it doesn't get old! :) Birthday cake in my "Little Miss Matched" style but slightly different colors. Bottom tier was chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream filling, top tier was vanilla buttermilk cake with vanilla buttercream filling, both covered in fondant. The curli-ques on top were gum paste, all other details were fondant.

Car/Desert Roadway Birthday Cake

This was such a fun little cake to do! Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details. The birthday boy was turning 2, hence the road signs reading, "Speed Limit 2"! (Thought that was such a fun little detail!) Mom was planning on adding toy cars to the road on top of the cake at the party.

Another Angry Birds Cake!

Wow, have these ever been popular this year! Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream crumb coat, covered in fondant with all fondant details. One thing about it, I'm getting plenty of practice with my modeling which is always a good thing :)

Daisy Topper Cupcakes

I have to admit, before receiving this request I'd never heard of PEO International, but after doing a little research - wow! It truly sounds like such a wonderful organization furthering the education of women! These cupcakes were for a local branch's meeting - fresh strawberry cupcakes with strawberry swiss meringue buttercream and gum paste/fondant toppers with the PEO name and daisy emblem. Really enjoyed working on these cupcakes and learning more about this organization!

White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream (Recipe)

Please don't get me wrong - I am NOT trying to rush the Holidays upon us at all with this post!! Just thinking in the essence of my love of planning ahead (and assuming that there are others out there who might like to do the same) I thought I'd share what was one of my favorite recipes from last Christmas! I paired this with one of my favorite chocolate cupcakes, but I just have to say - if you're a fan of the peppermint Hershey Kisses that come out right about this time of year (the red and white striped ones?) you MUST try this frosting recipe!!! You will be in love! I topped my cupcakes with peppermints, which turned out quite lovely - however, I will say that once they spent some time in the fridge the peppermints turned (for lack of a better word) "goopy" and the red coloring actually ran off the peppermint!! Thinking if I make more of these this year, I might just use some of the Peppermint Hershey Kisses instead :)

White Chocolate Peppermint Buttercream
12 ounces butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Red food coloring (optional)
Peppermint candies

Prepare the buttercream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the confectioner's sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled white chocolate until well combined. Add enough of the heavy cream until the buttercream reaches your desired consistency for piping or spreading and beat on high speed for 1 minute more. Beat in 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (depending on how strong you want the peppermint flavor to be.) Color with red food coloring, if desired. (I used a small paint brush to stripe the inside of my decorating bag before placing the icing inside it to achieve the candy stripe look of my icing swirls on my cupcakes.)
Pipe or spread the buttercream decoratively onto the cupcakes and top with a peppermint candy or crushed peppermint candies.

NC State University Cupcakes

As a Tarheel fan I feel I have a confession to make. I was working on these cupcake toppers during the big football match-up between State and Carolina. And my beloved Tarheels lost said football game. Badly. Payback for me having worked on these toppers? I dearly hope not lol! Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and gum paste NC State toppers!

Hot Fudge Sundae Decorated Cupcakes

These were very similar to the "Cherry on Top" cupcakes I made before, but slightly modified to reflect more of a Hot Fudge Sundae look :) Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream filling covered with fondant and all fondant details.

Angry Birds Cupcakes

You know, I thought already having done my Son's Angry Birds cake I wouldn't have had so much fun on these cupcakes...couldn't have been more wrong! Loved working on these! Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting and hand formed gum paste toppers.

Small Zebra Print Birthday Cake

This was such a cute little cake! Marble cake with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream filling, covered in fondant with a zebra print pattern. All the details were fondant as well :)

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

I made these for the cake walk at our church's Fall Carnival - had so much fun working on the toppers :) Pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing and fondant toppers with buttercream details!