Easter Cupcakes

Easter Cupcakes

March 2007

Happy Easter

Erin and I had about 25 of our closest friends over for Easter brunch. And nothing says spring celebration like fluffy whipped chocolate cupcakes (over beat the batter to make it light and airy). I topped them with whipped vanilla frosting and a purple flower. Next year I have to remember to go with cherry blossoms for local color.

It tasted a little like a devil dog, which is not such a bad thing.

What better way to display these cuties than a cupcake tree.

Billy vs. Sprinkles

Cupcake Bake-Off: Billy's vs. Sprinkles

March 2007

When baking cupcakes I've officially been converted to the batter published by Billy's Bakery (of NYC). Even Martha uses the man's Vanilla cupcake! Who am I to disagree? I admit that I do love the regular old box mix and have my own special ways of kicking it up and making it my own. But if I have enough time and the right ingredients on hand- Billy's my guy. Golden and spongy perfection.

However, whispers of dissension have reached my ears. The L.A. bakery set thinks Sprinkles can take on Billy's or even Magnolia (gasp!) any day. The whispers were persuasive enough to convince me to purchase the Sprinkles Vanilla Cupcake kit at Williams-Sonoma and give it a spin for Erin's birthday. Like I said, she's the best roommate ever and living in my kitchen she is forced to taste-test my baked goods all the time. No need to make her work on her b-day.

I'm the first to admit that the best ingredients make the best dishes, and since the ingredients listed had only the normal baking products like flour, bourbon vanilla, salt, etc. I can only imagine that they have some flippin' pixie-dust infused something because those cupcakes were OUTSTANDING. I made my own frosting. It was already a box mix, I can't give up THAT much control in my own kitchen. But I would turn in my right to scramble up recipes if I could make those. They were sweet without being too sugary, had a good depth of vanilla and a nice snap from the signature dotted sprinkle on top (included). Definitely worth the splurge at W-S.

This batch is Vanilla, but in the near future I'd like to give their Red Velvet a spin. Disclaimer: Please do not interpret this as my vote for urban supremacy- my loyalty for NYC runs deep.

Coming Up Roses

Pink Rose Cake

March 2007

Some cakes are just for getting together with friends and laughing. I love my fellows class and they seem open to taking cakes off of my hands. Why the celebration? Because I have finally made some progress in mastering the rose and I really love the color on these flowers.

Inside is a dutch chocolate cake with peach-apricot cream filling. I made the filling using an organic apricot jam, some chunky peach preserves and a bit of the vanilla butter cream frosting to make it smooth and creamy. These roses taste much better than eating dirt pies.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Cake

March 2007

Nothing says Fat Tuesday like a double chocolate cake with chocolate chunks and thick vanilla buttercream icing.

I love how this Mardi Gras cake came out. It was gorgeous and delicious. Let the good times roll.

Tess' Birthday

Star Cake

February 2007

Happy Birthday Tess- you're a rock star.

This is double vanilla chocolate chip cake with seedless raspberry jam between the layers. It is smothered in homemade dutch chocolate butter cream icing with a kick of almond extract for bite. The pink sanding sugar gives it just enough sparkle.

Family Secrets (Key Lime Pie!)

Key Lime Pie

December 2006

Often the best recipes have been stewarded by generations. Key lime pie is one of our family gems. My mom is a patient teacher and the kids love the deliciously rewarding end to the lesson. There can never too many cooks in the kitchen.

A dollop of whipped cream and a few dolphin/fish shaped sprinkles for that Key West charm and viola! Can't you just hear the warm breeze rustling the palm trees?

Of course, sometimes you can't quite reach the countertops on your own and you have to hone your skills with imaginary foods. Pretend soup can also be quite tasty.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

December 2006

Lest you find me vain, I should say that some of my favorite desserts are made by other people. Deb makes an amazing pumpkin gingerbread trifle. It is making me drool just to think about it.

Smile Deb. I know you are reading this. Now please go make me some more trifle. Please?

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
A similar recipe from Paula Deen
(Did you think I was about to reveal someone else's family recipe?)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 9 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 20 servings

2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix

1 (5.1-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping

1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

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And then there is Lanier, who taught me everything I know about my Kitchenaid. Sometimes we plan play dates for Clementine and Little Blue.

Christmas Cookies: My "Gift"

Christmas Cookies

December 2006

This year I participated in a fellowship with the National Center for Leadership. For Christmas we had a party for our mentors and other friends of the Center where we each shared a "gift" from our personal store of talents. Clearly I chose baking! Here is a tray of my holiday favorites from 2006.

Peanut Butter Dough Wrapped Snickers Cookies (my downfall!)
Polenta & Lemon Cookies
Rum Balls (with dark Caribbean coconut spiced rum)
Eggnog Spritz Cookies

Here are a few of the recipes:

Polenta & Lemon Cookies- from Martha Stewart . com

Ingredients (Makes about 2 1/2 dozen)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Italian polenta, or yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest, (1 lemon)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees;. Whisk together flour, polenta, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

2. Add egg and egg yolk, 1 at a time, beating after each addition to combine. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a -inch star tip (such as Ateco #825).

3. Pipe S shapes about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, spaced 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake cookies until edges are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire racks; let cool about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from parchment, and transfer to racks to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Dough Wrapped Snickers Cookies

These are totally Suzanne's fault. But sometimes I cheat and use sugar cookie dough from the store. At the holidays there is usually a fresh batch in the fridge or freezer.

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 13-ounce package Snickers Miniatures (about 60 candies) Note: You will use 1 bag and approximately half the other bag.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combinethe butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on a medium to low speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Then mix in flour, salt and baking soda. Cover and chill dough for 2 to 3 hours.

Unwrap all Snickers. Remove dough from refrigerator. Shape about 1 tablespoon of dough around each candy. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Caution: Lock these up so you don't eat them all before the party. They are that good.

Let it snow.

December 2006

Snowflake Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like COOKIES! Put on some carols, bake and frost some cookies and watch the snow fall. Winter doesn't get better than that.

Sarah saw these blue frosted snowflake cookies on the cover of some catalog and asked me to make them for a holiday party. I love requests because it challenges me to try something new. It was my first shot at royal icing and icing fill, but it wasn't so bad! I think I could have been a little faster at the outlining, but I was so nervous about the piping. Practice makes perfect. It was a blast to decorate each cookie with sanding sugar, snowflake sprinkles and silver drages.

The cookies dough recipe is from Martha Stewart Living and it is basically a sugar cookie kicked up with lemon zest. I added a dash of lemoncello to both the cookies and the icing and it really gave it a citrus zing. Yummy.

Sarah loved them and they were a big hit at the party. An empty plate is a good sign.

Wonka Chocolate-Vision

November 2006

In November I took a break from baking for a purer form of sugar worship- Chocolate Making. A few of my coworkers and I headed to Artisan Confections for the ultimate team builder.

After a brief education on the cacao plant and chocolate process, we were able to taste chocolates from different regions and with different percentages of chocolate. Like coffee beans, the different regions had flavors that varied in intensity and fruitiness. With a few new facts under our belt, it was time to get crafty.

Using colored cocoa butter (yeah, like in suntan lotion) we painted sheets of acetate with modern designs.

Jason, owner and creative guru behind the shop sliced up the ganache (filling) and showed us how to load up the conveyor belt to coat it in chocolate. Although we helped layer some chocolate ganache onto a mandarin orange batch he was working on the shop, it has to sit for several days before use. We were just as happy to use a batch that was ready for eating.

The tasty squares are lined up on the conveyor belt for a trip under a fountain of melted chocolate. Just for variety we used a mix of flavors that included: 76% chocolate ganache, vanilla bean enhanced chocolate, and a salted caramel and hazelnut layered treat. Though we were hoping to pick up a machine like this at Costco for our office kitchen, it turns out that they have to be specially ordered from France and take several months to customize and ship. It holds about 75 lbs of chocolate at carefully controlled temperatures.

Once doused, the squares are shaken (not stirred) so an even coating forms over the top. Then we applied our designs by hand by laying the cocoa butter paintings over the top of the coated chocolates as they set.

To keep us from causing trouble in the store while out designs set up, we were allowed to make our own chocolate bark using all kinds of nuts, fruits and crunchy candies. We also tasted many of the company's regular varieties like truffles flavored with Cinnamon Honey, Ancho Chiles and Mint Tea. My favorite was the peanut butter and jelly, with a layer of peanut butter filling, crunchy cookie flake, and raspberry filling, wrapped in chocolate. Yummy.

Finally it was time to reveal our handiwork. We peeled back the transfer sheets, and viola!

The bright colors and sparkled sugar were impressive, even though we had seen all of the steps going into it.


Though ours were hand-painted, the design sheets used for the chocolates that they sell in the store are designed by local Arlington artists and silk screened onto transfer sheets. Companies and restaurants custom order logos and designs (min = about 1,000 pieces) which I think would be awesome.

Here is my finished box:


I wasn't as hyped up about the chocolates as I get for some of our baking/cooking outings, but it was definitely my favorite class not attended by Dave Lieberman (haha). I definitely have a better appreciation for the chocolate making process and the art that goes into mixing the different flavors and textures. If you are reading this article from Arlington, you need to head over to the shop and taste all of these goodies for yourself. (I think that they also ship to lucky friends and relatives.) Classes will start again in the new year and I highly recommend getting some friends together and going. Good friends, a bottle of wine (because friends, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."), chocolate tastings, handmade confections to take home and support of a local business serving our community... What could be better?

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View the clip from Fox News by clicking here to see it in action.

And click here for even more chocolatey fun. Because in life there are "little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous."

Happy Halloween

What you see here is technically my Halloween costume, but the irony of the 50's housewife is just funny all year. The front has a great panel of a woman taking a pan out of the oven with huge oven mits. It reads "Drop it like it's HOT". Priceless.

Here is a chocolate chip cake with strawberry jam filling that is coming together nicely.

While the cake is cooling, say hi to Little Blue, who has revolutionized my homemade frosting. Looks a little naked without its paddle- sorry Blue!

Yummy. Thanks for stopping by.

Pumpkin Patch

Orange Pumpkin Cupcakes

October 2006

This year for Oktoberfest I splurged on the mini-pumpkin pan from Williams-Sonoma. I LOVE pumpkin everything. But on these babies I cheated. Erin was baking up a delish Apple Spice cake so I wanted to go another (less pumpkin-spice) route with this orange-lemon pound cake. It had an orange juice glaze which made it a little bit sweet for my tastes, but still tasty.

The leaves were made by rolling out green gumdrops in regular sugar. The stems and vines are green royal icing.

Darla's Peanut Butter Special

October 2006

Darla's Peanut Butter Special

Darla requested a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I don't know the exact Altoona recipe, but I think this one was yummy. Though I am not necessarily a fair judge since I think peanut butter right out of the jar is perfection.

Yaarrr- Birthday Ahoy

August 2006

For me matey Rach's b-day, thar be a pirate cake ahoy.

This cake was so much fun to make! The sand is crushed ginger sandwich cookies (from Trader Joe's). The creme filling gave it a little moisture and much better consistency than ginger snaps, which also would have worked. Swedish fish, decorative candles, and a piping gel treasure map completed the look. I spent so much time on the outside I don't even remember what kind of cake is inside. On vacation at the beach- something from a box I bet! (*wink wink)

Sarah's Raspberry Surprise

August 2006

A lovely summery creation, just for Sarah. Four layers of my favorite Chocolate Vinegar (egg less) cake with raspberry butter cream frosting and fresh berries. A wonderful pink color, brightened up even further with daisy sprinkles and an outlined forget-me-not.

Quilt Cake for the Best Roommate Ever

March 2006

I have the best roommate ever. No, really. Aside from the occasional bake ware probation I get put under, we have a great household. Last year my gift to her was a fondant recreation of one of her favorite hobbies- quilting. It came out well for a first attempt with fondant. It wasn't too hard to work with but it took a while to get a smooth covering without stretchy bits. And another chunk of time to time to get the pieces just right. But it was worth it because the finished product looked cozy.




Inside is a chocolate cake with white frosting. Although the fondant has a nice appearance of stitched cloth, it doesn't taste as yummy as vanilla frosting. So I made it removable.

The most fun was watching the guys poke at the sliced fondant. Apparently they haven't been paying much attention at all of these weddings. (Life lesson: Too much footloose = cake scarfage.) I had to assure them that it was just a different kind of sugar icing and they could eat it if they wanted or throw it out. These are the same guys who eat 10 day old burrito leftovers. One step at a time.

On Blame and Celebration

I've been listening to an audio book of Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour. In it he sets out to find the perfect meal. One of the observations in the first chapter is that no matter how wonderful you remember a meal being, it is about more than the food. It's about the people, the places, the tastes, and the smells all colliding. I couldn't agree more. Cakes to me are about so much more than the right mix of flour, sugar, and butter. It's about the inspirations, the muse from the recipients, the creative process, and the ultimate memory of sharing it together with friends who are celebrating one another.

In this blog I want to post some of my favorite cake memories. Some of the cakes looked better than others, and some of them tasted better than the rest, but they are all tops in my mind and represent the sweetest possible moments of the day.

Why baked goods? I could blame my mother for the scrumptious brownies and ice cream cakes, my grandmothers for the countless goodies at Christmas, or my dad for dragging me through bakeries in NYC and its greater metropolitan area. But they only set the stage for my addiction.

Today I think I will blame Cheryl for giving me that Betty Crocker EasyBake pan for my birthday 2 years ago. Perfectly round cakes were just too much fun. And filling it up with ice cream or pudding- irresistible. My new hobby was born.

So here is a bit of its domed glory. This is a chocolate cake stuffed with Cherries Garcia ice cream and covered with vanilla frosting and a dash of decorative cocoa powder. Delicious.

Fun quotes

I just had to share these fun quotes about baking and food. Enjoy!

"I have trouble with toast. Toast is very difficult. You have to watch it all the time or it burns up." - Julia Child

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple. " - Willy Wonka (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)

"Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." - Willy Wonka (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)

"To eat good food is to be close to God." - Primo (Big Night) Primo is also famous for his devotion to pasta because "Sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone."

Wedding Cookies

Wedding Cookies

Look like little wedding cakes

NCACS Classes and Demos

NCACS Classes and Demos

Somehow I was able to tear myself away from ooogling all of the cakes in the cake room to take some classes and demos. There were a ton of super-taleted sugar artists from all of the US who were displaying cakes, teaching demos, and offering workshops.

Night of Sharing

Michelle Bommarito

Anne Heap- Pink Cake Box

Class

Carrie Biggers

pink cake

Class- Colette Peters

Cake Diva, Warren Brown, Norm Davis

My 1st Cake Show

My 1st Cake Show

Yes, I have already posted photo essays and fun tidbits about the National Capital Area Cake Show on facebook and picassa and all of those fun places. Somehow without an official HB blog post it just didn't feel official. Plus, I finally have some pictures of my cake that aren't from my camera phone.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but people really brought thier A-game. I was happy with my entry but I think it was a little more representative of something I would make for an actual party than something to be critiqued and judged. But it is all about learning and fun, right?

Preparing a show cake was a real motivator to get better at covering cakes with fondant and working with royal icing. I LOVE buttercream. But no one wants to look at 4-day-old buttercream.