Memorial Day Cake

This cake was just a little reminder for my family and I - of the true meaning of Memorial Day. It's not really about the start of vacation season or cookout season or time with family - even though all of those things are wonderful things. It's about all the men and women who have given their lives to give us all the freedoms we have in our country. And all the families who have lost loved ones in service to their country. I just want to take a moment to say, "Thank you" to all those families. Even though that could never even begin to be enough - I will truly always be thankful for that sacrifice made.

Pink Zebra Graduation/Birthday

This was a fun project - a cake celebrating both a Graduation and an 18th Birthday! I also had the pleasure of experimenting with flavors a bit as there was a new filling request - to somehow incorporate a strawberry cheesecake flavor! The finished cake was a vanilla buttermilk cake with a layer of fresh sugared strawberries, cheesecake filling, covered in vanilla buttercream with fondant zebra stripes. I then fashioned a graduate's cap using rice krispie treats and covered that with fondant and added fondant banners with messages congratulating the new graduate on her diploma and her birthday! There were also vanilla mini cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and sugar pearls in coordinating colors. :)

Red, Black & Ivory Cupcake Wedding

I so enjoyed making these cupcakes for this wedding - my very first attempt at wedding cupcakes! :) There were three different cupcake flavors featured: chocolate, vanilla and red velvet. I used mainly vanilla buttercream (a few of the vanilla had chocolate buttercream) to ice the cupcakes and even though I did not manage to get photos of them I also had some cupcakes decorated with fondant flowers in the wedding colors as well. The bride and groom had a cutting cake made of fluffy vanilla with ivory vanilla buttercream and fondant accent flowers in the wedding colors of red and black. This was a challenge for me as these were the most cupcakes I've baked and decorated at one time, but I really and truly enjoyed it!

Thin Mint Cupcakes

Special request I had for a Birthday - had fun with this one! Chocolate cupcakes, studded with crushed thin mint cookies, topped with a swirl of mint buttercream and half a thin mint cookie! Good enough to make any Girl Scout proud! ;)

Black & White Bridal Shower Cupcakes

Loved working on these cupcakes for a black & white themed bridal shower! Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, black fondant flowers and sugar pearls. :)

Music Birthday Cake

I loved working with this theme! Not that I was ever particularly good at it, but working on this cake certainly brought back memories of many hours spent plunking away at the piano ;) Red velvet cake with cream cheese filling/frosting and fondant details for a music lovers' 14th Birthday!

Campfire Delight Cupcakes

Mmm...these cupcakes. These heavenly, chocolatey cupcakes. I must admit, when I first saw these posted on Sweetapolita's blog, I didn't immediately say, "I must make these!!" It was the malt. The malt held me back. But I'm so glad I finally pushed aside my petty malt problems and tried these - oh, so very glad! Dark chocolate cupcakes with toasted marshmallow filling, malted dark chocolate frosting, dark chocolate sprinkles and malt balls on top - these are a chocolate (and marshmallow) lovers' paradise! Please don't wait as long as I did to try them! ;o)
http://sweetapolita.com/2011/05/campfire-delight-cupcakes/

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Yes, I have been rather busy trying out new recipes :) But that's just always so much fun for me (as long as they work out anyway). And such was the case with this yummy carrot cake! I've never been a huge fan of carrot cake, it's okay, but definitely not a favorite. I'll always choose chocolate any day (sorry, carrots). But I found this lovely carrot cake cupcake on Food Buzz and just the beauty of it astounded me - I simply had to make it! It uses whole wheat flour to give you a slightly less dense cake - you keep a lighter crumb without it being dry at all - it's really quite perfect in my opinion! Please try this lovely carrot cake recipe, you won't be sorry! I've included a link to the recipe below:
http://bravetart.com/recipes/CarrotCake

Samoa Cupcakes

I have to say first off - these cupcakes were such a pleasant surprise for me! I am as BIG a non-coconut fan as is possible. I don't mind the flavor, I just despise the texture of coconut more than anything - just ick for me! But I found I really enjoy toasted coconut as was featured on these cupcakes and the coconut infused chocolate cupcake as well - all super tasty together! So yes, I'm growing up a little - trying new things such as these Samoa cupcakes: coconut-infused chocolate cupcakes with an old-fashioned cooked caramel frosting, melted chocolate drizzle and sprinkling of toasted coconut! Two thumbs-up from this baker! I've included a link to the recipe below so you can try this amazing Girl Scout cookie inspired cupcake for yourself :)
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/04/01/samoas-cupcakes/

Daisy Birthday Cake

To borrow a quote, "Daisies are such a friendly flower!" ;) Can't claim inspiration for the design on this one, the Birthday girl sent me a picture and asked if I could replicate the cake - unfortunately I'm not sure who to give credit for on this lovely design! Fluffy lemon cake with lemon swiss meringue buttercream filling, covered in fondant with fondant details. I added a fondant plaque bearing a "Happy Birthday!" message for the birthday girl :)

Pink & Black Ladybug Baby Shower

This was a fun theme for a baby shower! I matched the cake and cupcakes to the invitations - pink and black ladybugs! The cake was fresh strawberry with white chocolate swiss meringue buttercream filling, covered in fondant with fondant details. The cupcakes were half vanilla with fresh strawberry swiss meringue, half chocolate with caramel swiss meringue, both with custom fondant/gum paste toppers.

Lego Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting for a Lego fan's Birthday! I made the lego cupcake toppers using fondant.

Pirate Cupcakes

Fun request for a pirate themed Birthday party! Half chocolate, half fresh strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and custom fondant/gum paste toppers for a little guy's 3rd Birthday!

Peanuts & Coca-Cola Cupcakes

As soon as I saw this recipe post on Sprinkle Bakes' blog, I knew I had to try them for myself! Having grown up in North Carolina, throwing salted peanuts in a bottle of Coke was as natural as breathing to me when I was little! Oh, the memories this one simple recipe evoked...! I highly recommend trying her recipe for yourself even if you're not familiar with the Southern practice of Peanuts & Coke - you won't be sorry :)
I've posted a link to her recipe below.

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/04/peanuts-in-my-coke-cocoa-cola-cupcakes.html

Lego Birthday Cake

Fun cake for a Lego themed Birthday party! Chocolate cake with Oreo buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details!

Carrabba's Cheesecake Inspired Cupcakes

This was a fun request! I always enjoy being challenged - either by a design request or a flavor request! In this case, it was by flavor. I had a friend request that I create a cupcake inspired by her favorite flavor of cheesecake at Carrabba's for her Birthday! So this is what I came up with: a dark chocolate cupcake, white chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, fresh raspberry reduction, topped off by a fresh raspberry! I'm told it was exactly what she had in mind which made me very happy and I had the fun of trying both a new flavor of swiss meringue and a new technique (berry reduction) which also made me very happy! :) Win-win!

Fine Wine Birthday Cake

Really enjoyed working on this cake for a special 60th Birthday celebration! Fluffy vanilla cake with vanilla bean latte swiss meringue buttercream filling, covered in fondant with fondant/gum paste details. The wine bottle reads, "Like a fine wine, Suzy only gets better with age!" So cute! :)

Hunter's Birthday Cake

Simple little cake for a hunting fan's Birthday! Fluffy vanilla cake with fresh strawberry buttercream filling, covered in fondant with fondant and buttercream details. Had fun adding the little deer prints across the cake!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

So I've done peanut butter buttercream before, yes but the traditional "american" buttercream which was good - don't get me wrong! But, it was a tricky balance to get right - almost too easy to make it too dry for my taste. Now Swiss Meringue on the other hand...oh, this stuff is dreamy! The dreamy stuff that dreams are made of! Seriously, folks - you must try this buttercream! When paired with my chocolate espresso cupcake and topped off with a mini peanut butter cup - mmm...heaven! <3 I will say the two times I've made this swiss meringue it's come out much thinner than other flavor varieties and if I can find a way to alter that, I'll be sure to post the correction, but it's still good for piping on cupcakes - wouldn't advise using as a filling on cakes though.

Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 - 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, to taste

Add egg whites and brown sugar to bowl of electric mixer and simmer over a pot of water, whisking gently, until temp reaches 140 degrees, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot, about 8 minutes if you used room temp egg whites.

Place the bowl back onto the mixer stand and with whisk attachment, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (can take up to 10 minutes or so). Switch to paddle attachment and with mixer on low speed, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if it curdles, keep mixing on medium low and it will come back to smooth).

Add vanilla flavoring and peanut butter and continue to beat on low speed until well combined. (I had to increase the speed on my mixer to fluff it up a bit before piping on my cupcakes).

Double-Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Special request for a Birthday - chocolate cupcakes (with half an Oreo baked into the bottom) with rich, chocolate buttercream frosting garnished with half an Oreo cookie!

Bridal Shower Charm Pull Cake

Traditional charm pull cake for a bridal shower! Vanilla buttermilk cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, fondant ribbon roses and leaves.

Jungle Animals Birthday

Fun little cake designed to match party decorations! Vanilla buttermilk cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant details.

Transformers Birthday Cake

Fun theme to work with - Transformers cake in Bumblebee colors! Vanilla buttermilk cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, the autobots symbol was hand cut out of fondant and the flames on the side of the cake were "painted" with buttercream.

Curious George Birthday

Curious George has been quite popular with the Birthday set this year! ;) Vanilla buttermilk cake and matching cupcakes, both with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant accents.

Easter Hydrangea Cake

I loved making this cake! And as far as inspiration goes...wow, where didn't I get inspiration from for this one? ;) I used a recipe from Sweetapolita's blog and combined techniques from I Am Baker and Glorious Treats for this lovely little cake! I made Sweetapolita's lemon blueberry layer cake with lemon curd filling (oh, so yummy!) and used a light lemon buttercream to pipe the hydrangea blossoms. The overall idea of the hydrangea cake was from I Am Baker, but the execution (using a Wilton 2D tip to pipe the blossoms) came from Glorious Treats. Again, loved making this little cake and can't wait to cut into it at our family's Easter meal!

*Note - Sweetapolita's recipe makes 3 - 9" layers, to make my cake - I used a 6" round pan and half a Wilton sports ball pan, and as you can guess I had leftover batter so I actually had enough to make two identical cakes.

You can find Sweetapolita's Lemon Blueberry Layer cake recipe here:

http://sweetapolita.com/2011/02/triple-lemon-blueberry-layer-cake/

Easter Peep Cupcakes

Nothing fancy or complicated about these little cupcakes - just pure, colorful, sugar-filled fun! Chocolate cupcakes with green buttercream nests and marshmallow Peeps for my Daughter's school party! They were so simple and quick to put together - I simply used my grass tip to pipe the buttercream in long streams around the cupcake in a messy "nest" pattern ;)

Coffee Squared Cupcakes

This is yet another one of those instances where I'd like to smack myself in the forehead and say, "You dummy! Why haven't you thought of this before?!" Mocha cupcakes -AND- latte buttercream?! Can you say, "Heaven" for a coffee-junkie such as I?! Oh, such a yummy combination! I have truly become quite the SMBC addict - I have yet to try a variation I didn't like!

Cupcake Ingredients: (Makes appx 24)

3/4 cup strong hot coffee

3 tsp instant espresso powder

3/4 cup dark cocoa

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners

Whisk together coffee, espresso powder and cocoa in a small bowl and set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder in another small bowl and set aside. Measure out buttermilk and mix with vanilla extract and set aside.

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each egg in thoroughly and scraping the side of the bowl before adding the next egg. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until combined. Repeat, ending with the last of the flour mixture. Add the cocoa and coffee mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in sour cream.

Divide equally into prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks before frosting.

Vanilla Bean Latte Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients:

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Either 1 scraped vanilla bean -or- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

2 tbsp instant espresso powder dissolved in 4 tsp hot water, let cool before adding

Pinch of salt

Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with vinegar on paper towel, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and cool. Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continuously, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). Add vanilla, vanilla beans (or paste) and salt, mix well. Slowly add in cooled espresso/water mixture – it will take just a little while for this to incorporate fully, give it some time! You can scrape your bowl once or twice and whip well, then fill your piping bag and enjoy!! (For those interested, I used the Wilton 2D tip to achieve the look in the photo.)

I topped my cupcakes with dark chocolate coated espresso beans for even more coffee kick :)

Honey Bee Cupcakes

These were just a fun little project since I didn't have anything "official" to do this past weekend ;) Browned-butter banana cupcakes with honey swiss meringue buttercream I tried to pipe to mimic a beehive, topped with marzipan bees with almond slice wings! As I said, these were completely just for fun, but I couldn't help thinking how sweet these would look at a baby shower, no?

Duke Cupcakes

Just a slight variation of Duke cupcakes that I've done before - I inverted the colors on the toppers...and think I like these much better than the originals! Vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and hand cut gum paste toppers in the iconic Duke University "D". Finished of with a sprinkling of blue sugar crystals. :)

Fireman Wedding

Oh, my. I ADORED working on this wedding, but felt like I needed a full days' worth of sleep after finishing it! :) There were just so many cake, filling and frosting flavors going on, combined with the complexity of the figure modeling - wow! The Bride-to-Be picked out a lovely design by Pink Cake Box and this was my attempt at doing it some kind of justice! The top tier of the wedding cake was fresh strawberry cake with chocolate ganache filling, the middle tier was fresh peach cake with vanilla bean cream cheese filling and the bottom tier was brown sugar cake with key lime curd filling, all covered in fondant with fondant ribbons in tangerine and hot pink. The fire truck grooms cake was chocolate cake with cherry buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details. I hand formed the bride and groom using a fondant/gum paste mixture and was quite pleased with how well they both turned out! There was also a chocolate sheet cake with vanilla buttercream frosting in reserve, but alas - no picture of that! (I'm fortunate I had my iPhone with me, or there would have been no photo of the cake itself!!)

Cool Mint Oreo Cupcakes

I've been really excited at all the variations of Oreos in the grocery store lately - so many choices it can be quite daunting! I'd been eying the cool mint oreos for a while now though, and when I stumbled upon a mint oreo cupcake - well, that made up my mind for me! The cupcake recipe is a nice time-saver as it uses a chocolate boxed mix for the base with a few additions (still comes out super tasty!) and I paired it with my basic buttercream recipe with finely crumbed cool mint oreos and peppermint flavoring added in. If you're a fan of chocolate and mint, I highly encourage you to give these a go! :)

Cool Mint Oreo Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

24 Mint Oreos

Box Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines Devils Food)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup water

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Place half an Oreo in the bottom of each liner with cookie side down, cream side up. Save the remaining cream-less half of each cookie for your buttercream.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine cake mix, melted butter, water and eggs. Beat on low for one minute. Scrape sides of bowl and increase speed to high. Beat for another minute.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

For Buttercream:

30 Mint Oreos halves, crushed completely into superfine crumbs (I used my food processor)

4 sticks of butter, softened

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat on low until just mixed. Gradually add salt, flavorings and buttermilk. Increase speed to medium high and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat for additional minute. Add cookie crumbs and beat on low until well combined.

Pipe frosting on cupcakes and top with a halved Oreo, if desired. Enjoy!

*Cupcake recipe adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Seuss Themed Twin First Birthday

Oh my goodness - had SO much fun with this theme! Mom wanted a nod to Seuss - no characters or anything obvious aside from the references on their smash cakes, so this is what we came up with! Top tier of large cake was fresh strawberry with vanilla buttercream filling, bottom tier was chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream filling, all covered in fondant with fondant details. Smash cakes were vanilla buttermilk cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant plaques that read, "Thing 1" and "Thing 2"! I used my black food color marker to draw on all the detailing - think that is really what helps transform it into the more "Seussical" look!

Pot O' Gold Cupcakes

Oh, boy have I been looking forward to these little cupcakes! I'd been wracking my brain with what kind of cupcakes to bring in for my Son's class for St. Patrick's Day - clovers? Nah. Green batter cupcakes? Nah. When I was at Target one day and noticed sour gummy rainbow strips in the dollar section I thought, "Lightbulb!" to quote one of our favorite movies :) But how to make the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? (Cause you had to have those obviously). So I gathered up my courage and tried something new - modeling chocolate! I even made it myself - big girl moment there! And boy was it some tasty, fun stuff to work with - I'll definitely be making more in the future. I decided to keep it simple for the cupcakes themselves - no dye or artificial stuff since there was enough action on top of the cupcake! Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, sour gummy rainbows, modeling chocolate pots filled with gold sprinkles - voila! My kind of gold at the end of the rainbow - chocolate! For anyone who'd like the recipe I used for modeling chocolate, I've included the directions below :)

Melt 6 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler (I used Ghirardelli) . Mix until no lumps remain. Let the chocolate cool for just a few minutes before adding 1/3 cup light corn syrup. Mix thoroughly until combined. The chocolate will start to form a hard ball that is difficult to stir. I put my chocolate in a resealable freezer bag and I left it on the counter over night to harden up. Dust your work surfaces with cocoa powder to prevent sticking and work your modeling chocolate until it's a desired consistency/softness. To make my "Pots O' Gold" I simply rolled round balls of approximately the same size and placed on parchment paper (to avoid sticking to anything) then rolled a thin strip of chocolate for the rim of the pot - no glue of any kind required - I just laid it in the position desired on top and pressed down lightly to help it adhere. Then I used some Wilton gold sprinkles for the "gold" in the pots - sprinkled in the middle and a gentle press of the finger to help them stick :)

Hope this was helpful!

Casino Birthday Cake

Such a fun, FUN cake to work on! Red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details. I tried to fit as many references to #54 as I could using the playing cards, dice and dominoes - loved it! Lucky #54 Birthday cake!

Fresh Lemon Cupcakes

I was a tiny bit worried as I was adding the zest from two whole lemons and lemon flavoring in the batter for these...but pleasantly surprised when sampling one after they baked! Fluffy, light lemon cupcakes with a light lemon cream cheese frosting, topped by candied lemon peel curls! Altogether lovely and refreshing little cupcakes!

Thomas the Train Birthday Cake

Even though I'd attempted this design once before, didn't make it any less fun for me! Top tier was vanilla buttermilk with vanilla buttercream filling, bottom tier was chocolate with vanilla buttercream filling, all covered in fondant with all fondant details! I was especially pleased with the Thomas figure on top as he most certainly improved from my last attempt! :) This design originally by The Pink Cake Box.

Pink Barbie Birthday

I had such fun working on this pink, girlie Birthday project! :) There were two cakes - the Birthday girl had her very own Barbie "cake" made of rice krispie treats, covered in a layer of buttercream and fondant to make up Barbie's dress! (Was told that one might not be eaten the Birthday girl loved it so much lol!) The cake for the party was vanilla buttermilk with vanilla buttercream filling, covered in fondant with all fondant details. Loved how both of these turned out!

Strawberry Malt Cupcakes

After seeing this cupcake on Your Cup of Cake a little while ago, I promptly pinned it not so much for the flavor but just for the look of it - I mean, it doesn't get too much cuter than a red & white paper straw in a cupcake, now does it?! Admittedly, I'm just not a malt person. Never been that big on malt shakes, whoppers or any of that. But I HAD to make these cupcakes - just HAD to! So very glad I did! And you will be too! I'm providing a link straight to the recipe at Your Cup of Cake, and while you're there - take a look around! There are so many other lovely cupcake recipes to tempt you as well! :)
http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2012/02/strawberry-malt-cupcakes.html

Lavender Flower Birthday

I really enjoyed this project - was pretty much told that the Birthday lady loved purple flowers, and that was my main inspiration for the cake and matching cupcakes! The cake was vanilla buttermilk with vanilla buttercream frosting in a rough finish with fondant flowers and leaves. The cupcakes were vanilla and chocolate with vanilla buttercream frosting piped in a rosette pattern, fondant flowers and leaves! I was very happy with how everything turned out :)