A little something to brighten your day...

RAINBOW CUPCAKES!

I was asked to make cupcakes for Zekie's friend, G's 3rd birthday party. The party had no theme so I got to make the call as to what to bake. I'd been wanting to try out the "colorburst cupcake" that I've seen on the 'net for years and this was my chance. G's favorite color happens to be pink so I ditched the traditional rainbow colors for something that would flow with pink. I went with a vanilla cupcake, although I'm sure you could do yellow or coconut or lemon or anything light colored.

Here's the batter, seperated in bowls, ready for color gel. DO NOT USE LIQUID FOOD COLORING (that stuff is nasty).


All colored up and ready for layering


Okay so I forgot to take a picture of the actual layering process but you just take a spoonful and spread it with your finger (dipped in water). Repeat with all 5 colors. When baked they should come out looking something like this...

Okay, so mine don't look that great. I got tired at the end and didn't spread all the way over like I should have.

Once you top it with frosting, no one can tell ;)


And here's the birthday boy enjoying his cupcake. Happy 3rd Birthday G!

Cinco de Mayo!

I told you I'm back tracking, right? We went to a gathering at a friends house for Cinco de Mayo, which is a big deal for Americans and not so much for Mexicans lol. Although my first idea was to make margaritas, I decided on a cuatro leches cake with cajeta. Before you ask "what the heck is that?" I'll explain it. Cuatro leches basically translates to 4 milks and cajeta is a cinnamon caramel sauce. Let's explain this in pictures, shall we?

Primero, la cajeta...you'll need
2 quarts goats' milk (or whole milk if you must)
2 cups granulated sugar
2-inch cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

In a large saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a simmer, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat, add the baking soda, and stir to combine. When the bubbles disappear, return the pan to medium heat. Bring to a brisk simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown, about one hour. Continue to simmer until the mixture thickens to the consistency and color of maple syrup, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve, and set aside keeping warm.

This is what it looked like after 20 minutes


After 70 minutes...


And finished product (would make a great gift).


Now for the cake...
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup whole milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup coconut milk

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.Sift flour cinnamon and baking powder together and set aside.
3.Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
4.Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6.Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, coconut and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake and let the milk soak in. Put in refrigerator until cold.

This is the sponge cake all baked up and ready for its milk bath.


This is all the different milks mixed up.


After poking the cake and dumping the milk all over it, wait a few minutes and it will look like this...


Mix up some whipped cream "frosting" and slather it on

Don't forget to drizzle some cajeta on top!

Even though the idea of a milk soaked cake may not appeal to you, I encourage you to try it. It really is very light and tasty, it's also pretty refreshing to eat a chilled cake.

Yums to everyone!

Easter!

So it's a few weeks after Easter and I'm just now posting my Easter cupcake. Ah well, it's really cute it'll make up for my procrastination. This is not an original idea, I saw it somewhere and had to copy it. It was a great project for Z and I to do together.

Here are most of the ingredients for the coconut cupcake.


All baked up and ready for some decorating action!



"Grass" is smeared on, (buttercream frosting made with coconut milk).

Look how cute!!


Yes, I forgot to take a picture with my camera... an iPhone picture is going to have to do this time. I used colored twizzlers for the basket handle, jelly beans for the eggs and a bunny peep for the, well, bunny.

Coconut Cupcake (pretty sure I used this recipe...http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coconut_cupcakes_with_coconut_cream_cheese_frosting/)

3/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup of sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup of canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of sweetend coconut

1 Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cream till light and fluffy again, scraping down the sides halfway through to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each to ensure mixing. Be sure to scrape down the sides after each egg to ensure even mixing.

3 Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in one bowl. In another add 1 cup of a well shaken can of coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry. Stop mixing once just as the ingredients become incorporated; do not overbeat.

4 Fold in the coconut. Scoop into cupcake papers about one half to three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating the pan after the first 15 to ensure even baking. Be sure to check with a toothpick to see if the cupcakes are done. If the toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean, then they're ready. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


They were a hit!

"Mommy, no cuppycakes?"

No excuses. I've been lagging. Life is busy with 2 kids. I've been baking but not really taking pics and that is all my bad. Forgive me, please?

Onwards!

Everytime I turn on the oven, I hear little feet run down the hallway asking if I'll be making cupcakes. When I tell him no, he usually drops his little head and sighs. Such disappointment in a 2 year olds life. We're in the midst of this potty-training business and ::sigh:: it's not really any fun. We weren't really having any progress so I decided to make these as a bribe...

They've worked fairly well, day 3 no accidents!


Alton Brown's "The Chewy"
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used 2 1/2tsp)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Someone else likes them too...


Z boy goes to pre-preschool a few mornings a week and I've really tried varying his snack/lunch that I send with him. He loves anything mini. I give him mini brussel sprouts and he eats them for pete's sake! Since he was a baby he never liked sweet potatoes so, when I came across this recipe I wanted to try it out.

http://weelicious.com/2011/03/16/mini-sweet-potato-muffins/
I give Zeke as little sugar as possible so I replaced it in this recipe with Sucanat (dried sugar cane).

I highly recommend the muffins and the website, they were a hit with the whole family.

Lastly...

Zeke loves being a big brother and give sister anything she wants, even a taste of his daily apple <3

Back in business

Have you noticed my absence? I hope so.

I have 29 "known" followers but I know there are a lot more of you who read my blog. I think you're just shy. If you ever want to join my followers, please feel free. I love all my followers!

Well since my last blog a lot has changed in my life. Zeke turned 2, we moved to Montana, I had another baby and we've just moved into our new home. All good changes.

Before moving into our home, we were living in a hotel. Yes, with a newborn and a toddler AND we survived! I was most disappointed with hotel living for 1 reason: there was no oven. That made my heart sad. Now, we are in our home and most of our things have been unpacked so I'm back at it folks. Although I haven't made any cupcakes yet, I have been baking. Here's a few of the yums I've made.

Zucchini Brownies (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients


1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup margarine

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. (It will look really dry, do not add anything! The zucchini will release its natural water and make the brownies moist.)

3.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.


Pioneer Womans Red Velvet Cake

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/red-velvet-cake-to-remember/

Kris Kringle Cookie Mix

I made the jarred mixes for my neighbors for Christmas. Trying to be friendly and meet the people on my block.

The cookies baked are pretty tasty. Cranberries, pecans, oatmeal and white chocolate chips!

And for my newest love...

Peanut Butter Cupcakes...part 2

Since my last post I haven't made any cupcakes but I should've taken pictures of all the other delicious stuff I've baked. Cinnamon bread, biscoff cheesecake bites, pecan bars, banana banana bread and more. Sorry.

Moving on...yesterday was my oldest sisters birthday and she loves two things 1) lemon and 2) peanut butter. I had promised her lemon cupcakes but changed my mind at the last minute. I decided to make her a peanut butter cupcake with chocolate frosting and it turned out, well, not peanut buttery enough. Everything went well together but if I make these again I will def inject the cakes with creamy peanut butter and that will make it perfect.

The batter looks just like creamy peanut butter. Yes, I tasted it and yes it was effing delicious!

Final picture! Sorry I didn't take very many pics, was kind of out of it. Of course the cupcake wouldn't be complete without chopped up Reese's on top ;)

Sister and her birthday cupcake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcake!

I've been on a stuffed cupcake trip lately, don't know why really. I guess I just figure if you can put something extra delicious inside an already delicious cupcake, life couldn't get better.
I knew my sister, CJ, had a birthday coming up and I wanted to put something really good inside her cupcake. Now, she is a very odd person and does not like caramel or fruit fillings or anything like that so, I had to go waaay out there. Then it hit me, she loves chocolate chip cookies.

How could I possibly put a cookie together with a cupcake?

Yes, my friends. I have accomplished this feat. Meet the...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcake

First you have to make chocolate chip cookie dough. Do me a favor and use mini-chocolate chips, they will make your cookie look more like a cookie. If you want my recipe, I'll share it. I really think any recipe could work, though. Roll the cookie dough into tablespoon size balls and freeze overnight.
DON'T skip this step.

Now, make yellow cupcake batter. If you don't have a favorite use mine from a previous post. Fill the liners about 2/3 way up then drop a frozen cookie ball in the middle. Push it all the way down. They should look like the picture above.

Now, bake them at 350 for 16-20 minutes.
Do not overbake these, it will make your cookie super crumbly and gross. Test the outside edge of the cupake to check for doneness, do not stick your toothpick in the middle.
The cookie continues to bake after removing from the oven, keep them in the pan for 10 minutes.

Let them cool completely on a rack and put a little dollop of chocolate frosting on top and watch people inhale this delicious treat!

Really, how could you resist these?

Sister and Z singing happy birthday.

She inhaled her cupcake and was really sad when she realized it was gone.

Try these cupcakes, soon. You will not be disappointed!
Yums to you all.