The Great Cupcake Smackdown

The Great Cupcake Smackdown was Deliciouso!!!!

The Winners in a Nut Cup Shell:

Peoples' Choice:

 

Red Velvet & Judges' Choice Freestyle (Marie Antoinette) winner: Little Cake Bakery.

 

 

 

 

Peoples' Choice Freestyle (Better Than Sex) & Judges' Choice Red Velvet winner: Pink Cupcake Dreams.

I will blog in more detail about each participant this week. It was such big fun. My girlee can’t stop talking about it.

The Great Cupcake Smackdown & Two Delicious Divas

This Sunday, just after church service Girlee and I are attending The Great Cupcake Smackdown. Can’t wait. My favorite Cupcake Eateries here in Atlanta and some of you, who read the blog will be there and so will I. 

I’ll live blog from there so stay tuned. If you’re attending, let me know here on on the Smackdown Facebook Page.

Picture: Some Red Velvet & Oreo Cupcakes I made for my graduating Cousins.I’ll post up the recipe soon.

Dee

Grill Cupcakes for Fourth of July Menu

This cute pic is from Team Sugar

Check out these kabob grill pics from gastronamlies!

 

 

 

 

Found these cuties in my June/July issue of Family Fun Magazine. I recommend you subscribe.

Ingredients

• Brownie batter
• Black food coloring
• White frosting
• Orange sugar

• Caramel creams
• Red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices
• Hot Tamales candies

Instructions

1. To make a batch of 12, place liners in a muffin pan, oil them, and fill them two thirds full of your favorite brownie batter, then bake according to the recipe directions. Let the brownies cool.

2. In a small bowl, mix one or two drops of black food coloring with 1/4 cup white frosting. Transfer the frosting to a ziplock bag and snip a small section from the corner. Pipe grate lines onto each brownie and let them set for 20 minutes. Add embers with a sprinkle of orange sugar.

3. Prepare the grill food as instructed below and press it in place atop each brownie.

   Kebabs = A caramel cream and red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices, cut into small pieces + toothpick skewers

   Pork chop = two thirds of a caramel cream, molded with fingers + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

   Hot dogs = Hot Tamales candies + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

O Magazine has Cupcake Decorating Tips in this Issue

Bake Sale Pies. These are cute. The recipe is below. Click here to get more from O Mag or pick a copy. I will tomorrow.

Ingredients:

Bake-Sale Pie Cupcakes

• 24 vanilla cupcakes , baked in silver foil liners
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) vanilla frosting
• Yellow food coloring
• 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup each red and blue candy (M&M's, Jelly Belly)

Directions:
Tint the vanilla frosting with 3 or 4 drops of the yellow food coloring and the cocoa powder to make a light brown for the piecrust. Spread some of the frosting on top of a cupcake, leaving 1/4 inch of the cupcake edge exposed. For the filling, arrange about 25 like-colored candies close together on top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and like-colored candies.
Spoon the remaining light brown frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag. For the lattice crust, pipe 4 or 5 lines across the top of a cupcake, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe 4 or 5 more lines, on the diagonal. Pipe a beaded edge around the top of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and frosting.
Arrange the cupcakes on a wire rack and make several bake-sale tags to put with the cupcakes.
© 2010 What's New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Just ordered the cookbook. Woot! So cute.

Gingerbread Cupcake Fun Fest

Girlee and I had fun today assembling our Gingerbread Granny Cupcake.

Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick of unsalted butter)
• 1/4 cup of hot water
• 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of grated ginger
• if you like moist cupcake add 2 tbs apple sauce to mixture
  

Prep

• preheat oven at 350 degrees
• combine wets, but be careful of eggs don't want them cooking in the hot water
• combine dry
• add dry to wet mixture in parts
• add final mixture to muffin cups
• bake for 18-20 minutes

 Cool then Decorate like you want

Frosting Choices

• Lemon Cream Cheese is great
• Cream Cheese
• Chocolate
• Molasses Cream Cheese
• Mango Buttercream
  

We added Rudolph to top ours off .

Then Selah and I cut loose on these decorations!!

Halloween Cupcakes Velvet Ghosts

I love this pic, but I'm thinking White Velvet Cupcakes instead of those Dirt Chocolate Cupcakes topped with Marshmallow Ghosts for the girls this year. I want the entire cupcake to look like a ghost. These cupcakes are easy for Selah and her BFF to make on Saturday. I'm a big fan of cupcake frosting for cupcakes. So here's the recipe.

I'll post what Selah and I create this weekend on Flickr , Facebook, and the blog.
Use sprinkles to make the ghost eyes.



White Velvet Cupcakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking power
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the egg whites
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can replace with another flavoring if you prefer: lemon, almond extract, etc.)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup mini-marshmallows

Marshmallow Frosting(This frosting recipe from Jennifer Shea of Trophy Cupcakes)

Ingredients

Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Sprinkles Father's Day Cupcake Recipe

Sprinkles shares a Yummy Father's Day Cupcake Recipe on ABC last Friday. Watch here and Read the Recipe Below.
Ingredients:

* 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* ¼ tsp salt
* 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
* ¾ cup smooth all natural peanut butter, at room temperature
* ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
* ½ cup sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* ½ cup whole milk
* 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine milk and vanilla in small bowl. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Beat butter and sugars in mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and blend until smooth. Slowly mix in peanut butter. Add half the flour mixture and blend slowly. When fully incorporated, add milk mixutre. Continue to blend slowly. Add remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Add chocolate chips and fold in by hand. Scoop into 12 lined baking cups and bake for about 22 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched and the edges are golden brown.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

* 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter, natural (or if you want a smoother look, go not-natural)
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:

Combine sugar and salt in bowl. Combine milk and vanilla in bowl. Beat butter and peanut butter in mixer until smooth and creamy. Alternately add sugar and milk mixture until fully incorporated. Add additional milk for a softer consistency. Frost on top of cooled cupcakes.

About Candace Nelson, Executive Pastry Chef and owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes
Executive Pastry Chef Candace Nelson comesfrom a strong culinary tradition.Her French-American great grandmother was renowned for the distinctivedesserts she made at her San Francisco restaurant during the 1930s, and her own mother shared a similar passion for cooking. After graduating from the professional pastry program at Tante Maries Cooking School inSan Francisco in 2002, Candace started her own custom baking business,specializing in handcrafted special occasion cakes. Raised in the spirit ofher French relatives, Candace felt that dessert should be a daily pleasure rather than an indulgence reserved for the occasional celebration. This philosophy inspired Candace to open Sprinkles Cupcakes, The Original Cupcake Bakery. Candace has been profiled in the New York Times,featured on The Martha Stewart Show, The Today Show, Nightline andGood Morning America, and appeared as a guest judge on the Food Networks widely popular Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

Sprinkles Cupcakes are a deliciously sophisticated update on an American classic.Baked fresh in small batches throughout the day, Sprinkles Cupcakes are handcrafted from the finest ingredients, including sweet cream butter, bittersweet Belgian chocolate, pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, freshbananas and carrots, real strawberries and natural citrus zests. Sprinkles Cupcakes contain no preservatives, trans fats or artificial flavors. Sprinklesoffers more than 20 tantalizing flavors from simple vanilla to creativechai latte to satisfy every sweet tooth. Topped with Sprinkles trademark modern dots, rich chocolate sprinkles from France or seasonal sugar decorations, Sprinkles Cupcakes are both playful and elegant perfectfor occasions of any kind.

When Candace and Charles Nelson first opened Sprinkles in April 2005, everyone said they were crazy. Low carb mania was at its peak, and the idea of a cupcakes-onlybakery in the middle of thin city seemed an unlikely success story.Despite naysayers, they sold out within hours of opening, and saleshavent slowed since. Today, Sprinkles is known as much for its longlines and devoted fans as for its delicious cupcakes. Sprinkles iscredited with inspiring a national cupcake craze as reported by theNew York Times, USA Today, the Today Show and Nightline.

Sprinkles cares about its community, a philosophy reflected in its purchasingdecisions and commitment to local charities.Sprinkles bakery boxes, plates, napkins, shopping bags andgiftboxes are made from recycled materials. Sprinkles donatesregularly to charities and events supporting worthy causes andgives all daily leftover cupcakes to local food banks.
Website: http://www.sprinkles.com