Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Ganache Frosting
When the intro before the recipe reads, "Achieving the perfect consistency can be tricky" I should know to step away and not try it so late at night.
I made some really yummy Devil's Food Cupcakes (I will be posting pictures later this week) for my co-workers. It was my little Thanksgiving gift to them. The cupcakes turned out really well and pretty moist. The frosting however, was a failure. I tend to have issues with the frosting (first the 7-minute one and now the ganache). The Chocolate Curls also didn't want to cooperate, but that is a whole other story.
The following is the recipe I used for the frosting. It never really set up, it was a runny, sticky mess. I thought I would share it with everyone and maybe someone can give me a pointer on what I did wrong. So if you get it to turn out, let me know!
(This is what it ended up looking like. Chocolate Soup. Guess all I needed was a straw and I would have been good to go!)
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Makes about 4 cups
1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir).
Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring).
(It ended up being over 2 hours of cooling and stirring before I was even able to spread a little bit on the dang cupcakes...Good Luck!)
Recipe came from martha stewart
I made some really yummy Devil's Food Cupcakes (I will be posting pictures later this week) for my co-workers. It was my little Thanksgiving gift to them. The cupcakes turned out really well and pretty moist. The frosting however, was a failure. I tend to have issues with the frosting (first the 7-minute one and now the ganache). The Chocolate Curls also didn't want to cooperate, but that is a whole other story.
The following is the recipe I used for the frosting. It never really set up, it was a runny, sticky mess. I thought I would share it with everyone and maybe someone can give me a pointer on what I did wrong. So if you get it to turn out, let me know!
(This is what it ended up looking like. Chocolate Soup. Guess all I needed was a straw and I would have been good to go!)
Makes about 4 cups
1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir).
Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring).
(It ended up being over 2 hours of cooling and stirring before I was even able to spread a little bit on the dang cupcakes...Good Luck!)
Recipe came from martha stewart
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Happy People eating Happy Cupcakes
Every North Dallas Etsy Team meeting I bring my cupcakes to 'test' them out. Doesn't seem they mind so much!
Denise from TeddyStartedIt and Katrina from Katemajoie humor me for a quick picture at our Thanksgiving Potluck!
Denise from TeddyStartedIt and Katrina from Katemajoie humor me for a quick picture at our Thanksgiving Potluck!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Cupcake Topper Finds
For Today’s Friday Finds I set out to find some cute toppers! Cupcake toppers are a quick and easy way to add some color to your cupcakes. Someday I hope to have a large collection of little trinkets to add to my creations. Right now I stick to colored frosting and sprinkles! Once I perfect some icing decorating techniques I shall start my cupcake topper stash.
Check out these Etsy Finds. Head to their stores to stock up on all your favorites for your next baking adventure.
I love seeing all of the non-traditional pieces bride's are incorporating into their wedding. (Especially my bouquets!!) I think it is great that people are willing to break away from the mold. Check out these cute bride and groom wedding cucpake toppers from GooseGrease
Another great option is to get some paper, customized toppers like these from SevenCupcakes There are sets you can print yourself too!
Ok, so I know these are pins in a pin cushion..But how cute would it be to have something like this on cupcake. A Cupcake, cupcake topper. Cute! You can find them on GigiMinor's Etsy Shop
I saw this little cupcake topper doll and fell in love. How cute is she?! The little dress is perfect. Check out this topper and more at WeeCuteTreasures
Lastly, I had to put these on this post. They are buttons...made out of SUGAR! Sometimes when people see my button bouquets in person, they think they are made out of sugar. So when I found these little cupcake decorations, I was super excited! HeyYoYo has a whole bunch of amazing decorations! I could spend hours in the shop starring at all the goodies.
Check out these Etsy Finds. Head to their stores to stock up on all your favorites for your next baking adventure.
I love all things that come in cute little bird form. Check out these toppers from GiftsDefine Also, check out her adorable blog
I love seeing all of the non-traditional pieces bride's are incorporating into their wedding. (Especially my bouquets!!) I think it is great that people are willing to break away from the mold. Check out these cute bride and groom wedding cucpake toppers from GooseGrease
Another great option is to get some paper, customized toppers like these from SevenCupcakes There are sets you can print yourself too!
Ok, so I know these are pins in a pin cushion..But how cute would it be to have something like this on cupcake. A Cupcake, cupcake topper. Cute! You can find them on GigiMinor's Etsy Shop
I saw this little cupcake topper doll and fell in love. How cute is she?! The little dress is perfect. Check out this topper and more at WeeCuteTreasures
Lastly, I had to put these on this post. They are buttons...made out of SUGAR! Sometimes when people see my button bouquets in person, they think they are made out of sugar. So when I found these little cupcake decorations, I was super excited! HeyYoYo has a whole bunch of amazing decorations! I could spend hours in the shop starring at all the goodies.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Recently Baked..
This last weekend I woke up early on Saturday morning. With all of the custom bridal orders I had been working on, I needed a break. And really, what better way to relax then to just bake. Later that evening I had a Thanksgiving social event for North Dallas Etsy and I wanted to bring some sweet goodies.
Going with the order of my trusty cupcake cookbook I made the next two recipes. The first in line, Coconut Cupcakes.
Going with the order of my trusty cupcake cookbook I made the next two recipes. The first in line, Coconut Cupcakes.
These cupcakes had coconut flakes ground up in the batter as well as coconut milk. On top there was some 7-minute frosting and some more coconut flakes.
The frosting did not set up at all. I didn't have a candy thermometer so I just guessed and well...I guessed wrong. The cupcake itself was just ok. Nothing outstanding, perhaps a litle dry. I have a few things I would improve on if I were to ever make them again (make the coconut in the cupcake even finer, buy a candy thermometer, etc).
Next in the book was Red Velvet Cupcakes. I have never had a Red Velet Cupcake so I was very excited to try this one out.
I thought they were really good. Still working on the left overs of these. This cupcake wasn't frosted the best, but you get the idea. I was actually really impressed with how they looked. The cake cooked up perfectly and they were pretty moist.
The could have been a little more 'red' in the middle. The frosting was cream cheese frosting (My new favorite type of frosting, by far).
The next cupcake recipe in the book is for rhubarb cucpakes. It really isn't the best time of year to find that ingredient. I think those may have to wait until the summer but it will be revisted! They sound very good. Since I am skipping that one I believe I will be making Devil's Food Cupcakes this weekend so I can bring them to work on Monday.
P.S. Check out the super cute plate I found! I got a set of 4 (mix of patterns) at Goodwill a couple months ago. I love them!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cupcake Decorating Tip - Piping Bag
I get a lot of questions about my cupcakes. One of the most common is how I get the frosting to look nice. The first batch of cupcakes I made (not pictured, they didn't look good at all), I used an offset spatula to put the frosting on. This didn't work well at all. I ended up making quite a mess!
The second batch, I used a piping bag. I had some disposable bags I bought at a local craft store. This ended up working really well. I didn't use a decorating tip; I just snipped the tip of the bag. You can also use the different decorative tips if you had them available. You can get a pretty big set at a craft store for not too much. I will be making some cupcakes soon that will have some more decorative techniques. This is something I am working on!
Picture from Wilton Website
If you don't have any disposable piping bags another option is to use a ziplock bag. Fill the bag with the frosting, the same you would for the piping bag. Zip the bag up, almost all the way. I find it works better if your hand acts as the closure rather than the zip part of the bag. Next, cut a hole in one of the corners of the bag. Frost away! The only tip I have, is don't force the frosting out of the hole. If it isn't work well, cut the hole bigger. If you apply too much pressure the bag will split. (the piping bags are stronger, I have never split one while using it)
Want the spiral look on your cupcakes? Check out this tutorial.
The second batch, I used a piping bag. I had some disposable bags I bought at a local craft store. This ended up working really well. I didn't use a decorating tip; I just snipped the tip of the bag. You can also use the different decorative tips if you had them available. You can get a pretty big set at a craft store for not too much. I will be making some cupcakes soon that will have some more decorative techniques. This is something I am working on!
If you don't have any disposable piping bags another option is to use a ziplock bag. Fill the bag with the frosting, the same you would for the piping bag. Zip the bag up, almost all the way. I find it works better if your hand acts as the closure rather than the zip part of the bag. Next, cut a hole in one of the corners of the bag. Frost away! The only tip I have, is don't force the frosting out of the hole. If it isn't work well, cut the hole bigger. If you apply too much pressure the bag will split. (the piping bags are stronger, I have never split one while using it)
Want the spiral look on your cupcakes? Check out this tutorial.
Cupcake Fact #1
So with all of these yummy cupcake recipes and pretty cupcake pictures, I got to wondering how the cupcake became what it is today. Where did the cupcake come from? And when? Through some 'googling' I found that there are two different possible stories behind the cupcake.
The first theory talks about the way these 'cakes' were baked before the invention of the muffin tin. They were baked in pottery cups and other small molds. The small container allowed for fast baking and was in a convienent single servce size. Most cupcakes in the present day are about the size of a teacup.
The second meaning of the word, cupcake, dates back to when ingredients were measured by volume rather than weight. A standard cup was used to measure out one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour and so on.
What other fun cupcake facts do you have?
The first theory talks about the way these 'cakes' were baked before the invention of the muffin tin. They were baked in pottery cups and other small molds. The small container allowed for fast baking and was in a convienent single servce size. Most cupcakes in the present day are about the size of a teacup.
What other fun cupcake facts do you have?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Recipe of the Week - Apple Cupcakes
I have been using one specific cookbook for all of my recipes. I thought by using a cook book it would be easier to mark them off and to go in order. So far it has been going pretty well. I have made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, Carrot Cupcakes, Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes and most recently Coconut Cupcakes and Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting. (Oh and I made some banana "Pup Cakes" for my puppies!)
Through this process of baking all the different types of cupcakes, I have been learning what different combinations of ingredients create the best cupcake. To me, a cupcake should be light and moist, never dense. I think a goal in the end (after I go through the whole cook book) is to create my own recipe. I think that would be a great achievement in my baking and learning!
1 cup apple juice from frozen concentrate (save 1 1/2 Tbsp of the concentrate, undiluted, for icing)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
Icing:
1 brick (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 1/2 Tbsp frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 box (16 oz) confectioner’s sugar
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need 24 muffin cups lined with paper or foil cups.
2. Cupcakes: Combine cupcake ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed until ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, until batter is smooth.
3. Fill muffin cups with 1/4 cup batter. Bake 22 minutes or until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.
4. Icing: Beat cream cheese and apple juice concentrate with a mixer just until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar on low speed to mix; increase speed to medium and beat until well blended, about 1 minute more (icing will be soft).
Through this process of baking all the different types of cupcakes, I have been learning what different combinations of ingredients create the best cupcake. To me, a cupcake should be light and moist, never dense. I think a goal in the end (after I go through the whole cook book) is to create my own recipe. I think that would be a great achievement in my baking and learning!
Photo Credit: Chotda on Flickr
To not spoil any surprises of what cupcake comes next that I will be baking, I have decided to feature some other cupcake recipes that have been found elsewhere.
The following recipe is great if you want something unique but without enough time to create something from scratch! This recipe uses a boxed mix with some additional surprises.
Cupcakes:
1 box (18.25 oz) white cake mix 1 cup apple juice from frozen concentrate (save 1 1/2 Tbsp of the concentrate, undiluted, for icing)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and coarsely grated
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
Icing:
1 brick (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 1/2 Tbsp frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 box (16 oz) confectioner’s sugar
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. You'll need 24 muffin cups lined with paper or foil cups.
2. Cupcakes: Combine cupcake ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed until ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, until batter is smooth.
3. Fill muffin cups with 1/4 cup batter. Bake 22 minutes or until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.
4. Icing: Beat cream cheese and apple juice concentrate with a mixer just until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar on low speed to mix; increase speed to medium and beat until well blended, about 1 minute more (icing will be soft).
You can also decorate the cupcakes with marzipan. See the picture below for some ideas.
Recipe from WomansDay
HAPPY FALL!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday Finds - Some of the Cutest Cupcakes Around
Every Friday I will be creating a post on Cupcake Finds! These items can come from just about anywhere; Etsy, Flickr, around the web, you name it! Today I was searching through Etsy and found some adorable cupcake items that look good enough to gobble up! Make sure to check out everyone's shop and keep loving the cupcake!
Cupcake Bath Bomb - Birthday Cake Scented!
Cute little Cupcake Soaps - They look good enough to eat
I found so many adorable things. This post could be ten pages long, easily. I will have plenty of sugary, happy Friday Finds posts to come. What is your favorite Cupcake Find?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cupcakes, A Personal Mission
A year ago I found a cupcake recipe in a magazine that I just had to make. They had caramel in them, that is all I remember. They ended up being horrible. They were dense and tasted like flour. It just wasn't good at all. Even though the end result was bad I still had fun making them.
Since that batch of dry, gross cupcakes it has been my personal mission (slight obsession) to make good cupcakes. I recently purchased a cupcake cookbook so I can play around with some different types and ingredients.
The first recipe was a Chocolate Chip Cupcake. They still weren't good. They were almost grainy. I wasn't too happy with that outcome. I felt very intimidated by the complexity of making good homemade cupcakes. I meant to take pictures of this batch but I forgot, and I that is ok with me. They didn't look very pretty.
The second attempt (and the second in the book, I plan on going in order) were Carrot Cupcakes. I had to grate a pound of carrots which was a pain, but they turned out soooooo good. I have a new found motivation for making cupcakes.
The 3rd batch (Yellow Buttermilk) are cooling right now waiting for frosting. Pictures of that batch will be up soon.
I am back to having fun making them, ha, so I am sure I will be posting my successes and failures as I make them! Enjoy! (want the recipe, let me know and I can get it to you)
Since that batch of dry, gross cupcakes it has been my personal mission (slight obsession) to make good cupcakes. I recently purchased a cupcake cookbook so I can play around with some different types and ingredients.
The first recipe was a Chocolate Chip Cupcake. They still weren't good. They were almost grainy. I wasn't too happy with that outcome. I felt very intimidated by the complexity of making good homemade cupcakes. I meant to take pictures of this batch but I forgot, and I that is ok with me. They didn't look very pretty.
The second attempt (and the second in the book, I plan on going in order) were Carrot Cupcakes. I had to grate a pound of carrots which was a pain, but they turned out soooooo good. I have a new found motivation for making cupcakes.
The 3rd batch (Yellow Buttermilk) are cooling right now waiting for frosting. Pictures of that batch will be up soon.
In the meantime, however, I will share some pictures of my Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting and a carrot on top, of course.
I got these super cute tulip cupcake liners on Etsy.
They were bakery quality (in my opinion). Very moist and perfect. They seemed to just disappear. A lot were consumed at the North Dallas Etsy Meeting. I will have to make them again, very soon!
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