The Cupcake Thread!

[lili]

Wow Jas12, you are a regular Betty Crocker.
That heart ganache looked so professional -- as are your cuppies.
Can you share the recipe for that?

 

[marcy]

Thanks Skippy, Appletini, San Diego Lady and Jas12.

Jas, your brownie hearts and cupcakes look divine.

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 2/12/2009 9:41:33 PM
Author: Jas12
Marcy--that is an awesome job for your first time--heck, it is awesome even if it was your 20th time--bravo!




So, i am kinda lazy lately--i usually LUV baking but for some reason i''ve been xtra tired at night so i only finished my v-day stuff out of guilt for buying all the stuff. I am going to visit my class tomorrow ( i teach but i am on mat leave) and i promised a treat--so i was planning to do these pretty ganache brownie hearts but they were taking toooo long so i just whipped up an icing.

Here''s a pic of some of the pretty hearts which i am going to reserve for friends and some brownie/cupcakes....

marcy your cake looks absolutely adorable! Good Job!

You did amazing for your first cake. I have been too intimadated to try a cake. Maybe for my Fiance''s 25th, I''ll try.

Mmmmm jas... those look delicious!

I love popping in and seeing all of you ladies beautiful creations! Yummy

 

[marcy]

Thanks Missjaxon. You should try a cake for your FI''s birthday. He would LOVE it.

 

[Dandi]

Well, the birthday girl has decided to my delight that she DOES want half chocolate/peppermint, half vanilla/strawberry for her cupcake tree! I made some choc mint ones today, I've been making a practice batch every weekend until the big day. Oh the pressure! They were pretty delicious. I should have kept a few for her to try, but DH and I had friends over this morning and we kinda... ate them all

Hubby often takes whatever is left over of a batch to work with him to share with the boys. They have started giving him money for me to supply them with treats every Monday!!

How hilarious! I told them forget the cash, I just want feedback!

 

[Dandi]

I think I''m very slowly getting a handle on this piping thing. The Wilton 1m tip really helps get those nice big fat swirls I love so much (thanks for the idea Mara!!)

 

[Dandi]

Date: 2/15/2009 2:41:53 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady

VERY PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankyou my sweet!!

 

[Skippy123]

Jas and DaniAndi, they look YUMMY!

Love the pink frosting, so pretty!

 

[marcy]

Dandi, your cupcakes looks marvelous.I need to try the swirls on the cupcakes.

 

[Dandi]

Thanks, Skippy and marcy, you are sweethearts! I can't believe how addictive this cupcake thing is!!

Dangit jas, if only I could get my swirls to look like yours!! Hopefully, one day...

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 2/14/2009 9:44:05 PM
Author: DandiAndi
Well, the birthday girl has decided to my delight that she DOES want half chocolate/peppermint, half vanilla/strawberry for her cupcake tree! I made some choc mint ones today, I''ve been making a practice batch every weekend until the big day. Oh the pressure! They were pretty delicious. I should have kept a few for her to try, but DH and I had friends over this morning and we kinda... ate them all

Hubby often takes whatever is left over of a batch to work with him to share with the boys. They have started giving him money for me to supply them with treats every Monday!!

How hilarious! I told them forget the cash, I just want feedback!

Love the pink cupcakes!

The look delicious!!! Your Birthday Girl is going to be very happy. I love the pink foil wrappers too, I used the same ones for my Mom''s birthday!

 

[marcy]

Date: 2/17/2009 12:54:27 AM
Author: DandiAndi
Thanks, Skippy and marcy, you are sweethearts! I can''t believe how addictive this cupcake thing is!!

Dangit jas, if only I could get my swirls to look like yours!! Hopefully, one day...

Dandi, I have bought so many things for my cake decorating class I have to stick wtih it. I too need to make some lovely swirls on cupcakes. I might try it tomorrow on top of my already frosted cupcakes.

 

[qtiekiki]

Dandi
I love the color of the frosting. It''s just the perfect shade of pink.

You''ll do great for the big day.

Well these are not cupcakes, but these are the first things I make using the stand mixer. I made these creme puffs as belated Valentine''s goodies for my co-worker today. I forgot to get confectioner''s sugar to garnish, but they look ok as they are.

 

[marcy]

Date: 2/17/2009 11:28:43 PM
Author: qtiekiki
Dandi
I love the color of the frosting. It''s just the perfect shade of pink.

You''ll do great for the big day.

Well these are not cupcakes, but these are the first things I make using the stand mixer. I made these creme puffs as belated Valentine''s goodies for my co-worker today. I forgot to get confectioner''s sugar to garnish, but they look ok as they are.

Gtiekiki, those look really good. I can almost taste them and that of course is safer for me.

 

[Lulie]

Everything looks so yummy!
I tried adding cream cheese to whipping cream as suggested [thank you!] it looks good

two hours...not weeping yet

 

[Lulie]

Okay...a bite before they go into the fridge

 

[Jas12]

Qtiekiki--those are SO scrumptious looking!!! Well done!

Dandi--i just want to take a bite of that pink cuppie!!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 2/18/2009 3:15:34 PM
Author: Lulie
Everything looks so yummy!
I tried adding cream cheese to whipping cream as suggested [thank you!] it looks good

two hours...not weeping yet

Wow, that is so beautiful!!!

 

[lili]

QT--
Are you sure you didn''t just pick those up at the bakery?

They look yummy.

 

[Mara]

nice looking puffs, QT.... our baking group did those a while back but i did not participate...my pal''s puffs were awesome though!!

 

[qtiekiki]

Thanks everyone for your compliments. It means a lot coming from fellow bakers, especially the professionals (Jas12 & Mara).

Mara - the puffs are so easy... probably too easy for your baking skills. =P

 

[Jas12]

Lulie--those are beautiful!!! Cool piping job. How did the cream cheese and whipped cream taste? Sounds yummy to me.

Qtiekiki--oh i am *far* from a professional

--your cream puffs look better than the ones i''ve seen at our local bakery. And homemade always tastes better IMO


Mara--did u end up doing anything for v-day?


So remember those little pink fondant hearts i did waaay back? I used a few on the brownies i made. This is a box I assembled for a friend and left on her doorstep. She still hasn''t guessed who dropped them off-hehe, a little secret admirer.



Oh, and for LILI--the recipe for the brownies--it''s actually just the Baker''s Chocolate recipe modified a bit. It is *super* easy, very dense, fudgey brownie. And certainly not lo-cal

One-bowl brownies:
4 squares of Baker''s unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
3/4 cup of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3 eggs (at room temp)
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 cup of flour
(the recipe also calls for 1 c nuts but i put in 2 chopped dark-chocolate mars bars --for added v-day decadence

)

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave
Stir in the sugar until well incorporated
Mix in the eggs and vanilla
Stir in the flour and any goodies you want to add
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-35 min (if using a 13 x 9 inch pan) or around 22 min if using a cuppie pan

I baked my brownies in a silicone heart cupcake ''pan''. When they were cooled i prepared a ganache ( heat some heavy cream and stir in some chopped chocolate) and poured it over the hearts.
I melted a bit of white chocolate and dotted it onto the warm ganache then using a tooth pick i swirled the two chocolates together
Transfer the whole pan to the fridge to set.

 

[Lulie]

I'm going to try the recipe form those brownies

Thanks Jas12, 2oz of softened cream cheese, per @ 1 1/4 C heavy cream is not overpowering If you like cream cheese

checked this morning...nope no weeping into the cake, yes! Have some extra cream, prob try making the plain/vanilla version w/piping gel as stabilizer.

 

[Jas12]

lulie--the recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar--but that was a bit much for me (esp since i added dark chocolate bars!) but if u like sweet--put it all in. I also upped the vanilla (cuz i love it). These brownies get a shiny crisp on the top, but are very chewy (don''t be fooled and over bake them, they set a bit more once cooled)

 

[marcy]

Lulie your cupcake is beautiful. Jas your brownie recipe is close to the one I used to use. I make cocoa brownies now. I like the taste better.

Okay here are my cupcakes - week 3 of my class - my second attempt at decorating. Let''s just say using the icing tubes was a BAD idea. They were too stiff for me to do much of anything with. So I will call these the good, the bad and the ugly. Some of my teddy bears make me laugh every time I see them. Next week we decorate a layer cake.

 

[marcy]

The second batch.

 

[marcy]

I used up the rest of my regular frosting practicing tonight and did a lot better with bags. Here is one of the roses I made tonight.

 

[akw94]

Good morning ladies,

I have some catching up to do so excuse my potentially long post!

Marcy, unbelievably, I don''t live near a Michael''s, Joann''s or Hobby Lobby. It is very frustrating b/c there''s no good craft store around

I do get the coupons though and am going to try and talk someone into going and making a couple purchases for me

Your cake is great!! I like the rainbow a lot. Your cupcakes are cute! I like the grapes and would never have thought of trying something like that. Your rose looks fantastic!

SDL, did you make the Snickerdoodle cupcakes for the Bake Sale? Have you posted a pic before? I must have missed it. How did the Bake Sale go? I''ve been really feeling like trying new flavors lately too. I really liked the Apple I did before and am now thinking of a PB&J cupcake and a Chocolate Pudding filled cupcake. You can''t go wrong with Chocolate Pudding and a cupcake.. yum! Anyone know if that works as a filling?

Jas, I love your Vday brownies, especially the box you made for a friend! They look so pretty!!!! I really didn''t have time to be creative over Valentines Day. I''m kind of bummed about that b/c I had a lot of ideas. It was my first experience with many orders so I just became so busy that I forgot to experiment

. I ended up doing basic stuff with pretty sprinkles and sugars. Next time I will plan better!

DandiAndi, your cupcake turned out very cute! I like those liners too!

Qtiekiki, your creme puffs look great! Are they hard to make? That''s a really cute idea for Vday.

Lulie, cute cupcake! I keep forgetting to try that design when I''m decorating. Thanks for the reminder!

As for me, not much happening these days. Business is slow this week but actually, it''s giving me time to do some research and think about different recipes, decorating ideas, etc... I have so many ideas floating around in my head that I''m just waiting until I start dreaming about cupcakes

 

[akw94]

These were some Strawberry ones I made for an order. Here''s something I found out through trial and error. Stencils ONLY work on cupcakes if they are perfectly flat. They worked for the Strawberry ones but that''s it. That was disappointing

 

[akw94]

Chocolate Brownie