tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56385813079035652502024-03-14T02:09:30.925-05:00Sweet DesignsJoin me as I bake and taste-test new recipes and try new [to me] food decorating techniques.
Our goal is to help make your days just a little sweeter!Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-15795024472822190562013-03-30T21:07:00.002-05:002013-03-30T21:07:57.127-05:00Mud Pie CupcakesOne day, while browsing through endless internet pictures of scrumptious looking cupcakes I saw one that I knew I'd want to recreate....you know, when I got the rare free time away from my five kids, endless baking orders, cub scout duties, and sports. Turns out that day was today (less than 12 hours after seeing the picture). Okay, I didn't actually have free time. In fact, I've been up for a solid 72 hours baking for orders and babysitting for friends and trying to keep my house somewhat presentable. But I knew I wanted that cupcake and even if it meant I'd have to go another two hours without that long sought for sleep...I was going to get that cupcake!<br /><br />Mud Pie Cupcake: Moist Chocolate cake filled with fudge pudding, topped with chocolate mousse, rimmed with Oreo crumbs, and sprinkled with chocolate shavings.<br />
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It starts like all of my chocolate cupcakes: with the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake recipe. </div>
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<div class="ingredients" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #552b29; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Ingredients</h2>
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<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 cups</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">sugar</span></li>
<li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1-3/4 cups</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3/4 cup</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">HERSHEY'S Cocoa</span></li>
<li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1-1/2 teaspoons</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">baking powder</span></li>
<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1-1/2 teaspoons</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">baking soda</span></li>
<li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 teaspoon</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">salt</span></li>
<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 </span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">eggs</span></li>
<li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">milk</span></li>
<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 cup</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">vegetable oil</span></li>
<li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 teaspoons</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">vanilla extract</span></li>
<li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 cup</span> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">boiling water</span></li>
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Directions</h2>
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<li style="background-image: url(https://www.hersheys.com/assets/images/kitchens/circle.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><label style="border: 0px; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1 </label>Heat oven to 325°F. Prepare cupcake pans<br /></li>
<li style="background-image: url(https://www.hersheys.com/assets/images/kitchens/circle.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><label style="border: 0px; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2 </label>Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into cupcake liners. </li>
<li style="background-image: url(https://www.hersheys.com/assets/images/kitchens/circle.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.<br /><br /></li>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">For the pudding filling I just used Jello Chocolate Fudge pudding prepared as directed. Using an apple corer, make a whole in the center of your cupcakes. Fill with pudding.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><b>Chocolate Mousse</b><br /><br />This is a foolproof mousse recipe and SO delicious!<br /><br />Ingredients:</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk<br />2 oz Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, melted</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">1/2 c. cold water<br />1 package instant pudding mix<br />1 c. heavy cream, whipped</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;">In a large bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate. Gradually stir in the water, then instant pudding until smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;">Remove the chocolate mixture from the refrigerator, and stir to loosen. Fold in whipped cream and return to the refrigerator for at least another hour.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #4e4e4f; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Using an ice cream scoop, top each cupcake with the chocolate mousse. Lightly press crushed Oreo crumbs along the sides of the mousse. Top with chocolate shavings.</span></span></span></div>
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<br />Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-795956311802237022013-02-27T16:32:00.001-06:002013-02-27T16:32:41.570-06:00Cherry Vanilla Dr. PepperWe've had this recipe ear marked for a while and I finally had the motivation to get it done (on top of the endless orders for RumChata and Black Forest Cupcakes we had today). I think I just needed to get in the kitchen and escape from reality today: last night my youngest son got sick...all over his new comforter and today my keys got locked in my van while it was running and I was half an hour away from home, on an old farm road covered in snow, mud, and ice.<br />To clarify for anyone wondering...no do the cupcakes do NOT taste like Dr. Pepper. The Dr. Pepper makes the chocolate cake super moist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHtrsHyo_-q7QwJfxpTtQVct57_wWaVCr-6QTdXqMVM2trHYETJd4tXcQ7yk5m7k_BmFEa7AKd4U__BbiLxC8uXTbybGBO09zLASQOELi2RQVU7WRVRupaSXyV-zLn8ndOC9PtAZ0RAM/s1600/482307_467695689963098_34448860_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHtrsHyo_-q7QwJfxpTtQVct57_wWaVCr-6QTdXqMVM2trHYETJd4tXcQ7yk5m7k_BmFEa7AKd4U__BbiLxC8uXTbybGBO09zLASQOELi2RQVU7WRVRupaSXyV-zLn8ndOC9PtAZ0RAM/s320/482307_467695689963098_34448860_n.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>
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Dr Pepper Cupcakes:<br />
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<span class="ingredient">1 c. butter</span><br /><span class="ingredient">1 c. Dr. Pepper</span><br /><span class="ingredient">4 tbsp. cocoa</span><br /><span class="ingredient">2 eggs</span><br /><span class="ingredient">1 tsp. vanilla</span><br /><span class="ingredient">2 c. sugar</span><br /><span class="ingredient">1/2 c. buttermilk</span><br /><span class="ingredient">1 tsp. soda</span><br /><span class="ingredient">2 c. flour</span><br /><span class="ingredient">1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon</span></div>
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<span class="ingredient">Preheat oven to 325.</span></div>
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Heat butter, cocoa and Dr. Pepper. Mix well and set aside.Cream eggs, sugar and butter, milk and soda. Add flour and cinnamon alternately with Dr. Pepper mixture, then vanilla. Line cupcake pans and fill 2/3 of the way full.<br />*Makes 2 dzn.<br />
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Vanilla Buttercream<br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 2 sticks butter, softened</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 4 tablespoons Vanilla flavored syrup (the kind you use for soda/coffee)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 4 cups powdered sugar</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and syrup on medium speed until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating on low until just mixed. Increase speed to high and beat for about two minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">Cherry Buttercream</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 2 sticks butter, softened</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 1 jar maraschino cherries</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> 3 cups powdered sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"> red food coloring, optional</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">In the bowl of a mixer, combine butter and 4 tablespoons cherry juice. Slowly add powdered sugar, beating on low until just combined. Increase speed to high and beat for about two minutes. I added red food coloring to deepen the frosting color, but it's not necessary<br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333232; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">You can assemble the cupcakes anyway you choose. I chose to fill them with the cherry buttercream, ice with a large swirl of vanilla buttercream and a small swirl of the cherry buttercream. Then garnish with a cherry.</span></div>
Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-80344891287308251922013-02-26T23:47:00.000-06:002013-02-27T08:14:41.163-06:00RumChata cupcakes!We've had multiple people request RumChata cupcakes. They all sent me the same recipe off of Pinterest. So once I got some free time, I tried it. And I did not like it. Don't get me wrong...they tasted good. I just did not like the way they baked up. And the icing had WAY too much sugar in it for my liking. So we adjusted our tried and true recipes to make our new RumChata cupcakes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatkn14f_KziZt0lrchNRrsTViOWjtkcIiS_VeeY6391h0XHec-zEEwcK3X_V43fpt6ZkAko3_i4qY3S1rblHA2m9r2LkG0DhoKHzV3DaDRIjlBfMHGVdDi8_uckZLD9dJjiiafDf00BM/s1600/CupcakesFebruary26-01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatkn14f_KziZt0lrchNRrsTViOWjtkcIiS_VeeY6391h0XHec-zEEwcK3X_V43fpt6ZkAko3_i4qY3S1rblHA2m9r2LkG0DhoKHzV3DaDRIjlBfMHGVdDi8_uckZLD9dJjiiafDf00BM/s320/CupcakesFebruary26-01.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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Ingredients:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1 1/2 cups cake flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1 1/2 tsp. baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1 tsp. cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">3 large eggs, at room temperature</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">2/3 cups RumChata</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">1 tsp. vanilla extract</span><br />
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Preheat the oven to 325° F. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.</div>
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Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the RumChata and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes 18 standard size cupcakes.</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
RumChata Cream Cheese Icing:<br />
8oz cream cheese, at room temperatur</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1/2 c. butter, softened</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1/3 - 1/2 c. RumChata</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
4-5 c. powdered sugar</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #757575; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and RumChata, alternating. Adjust to your needs (more powdered sugar for a thicker icing or more RumChata for a thinner, creamier icing). Ice cupcakes and garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.</div>
Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-3860921205654527072013-01-14T08:48:00.001-06:002013-01-14T08:48:00.931-06:00Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes<p>Wow! It has been crazy busy the last few months plus my computer crashed so I haven't been able to make any posts but boy do I have a LOT of recipes to start sharing! Today's recipe is a brand new one but it was so delicious I just had to share!<br>
Chocolate cake with a raspberry white chocolate buttercream filling and swirl on top and then topped with a swirl of whipped chocolate ganache. Decadent to say the least!</p>
<p>Chocolate Cake:<br>
Make your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. Personally I'm a fan of Hersheys's Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe but by all means you can also just use a box of Betty Crocker cake mix.</p>
<p>Raspberry White Chocolate Buttercream:<br>
1 lb frozen raspberries, thawed<br>
8 oz white chocolate, melted<br>
1 c butter, softened<br>
1 c powdered sugar</p>
<p>Puree raspberries in food processor. Strain through a mesh collander to remove as many seeds as possible. Measure 2/3 c of the raspberry juice. Put the raspberry 'juice' in your mixing bowl. Add the white chocolate and mix until combined. Add sugar and mix on low. With your mixer on low, slowly add the butter little by little. Whip until light and fluffy. </p>
<p>Whipped Chocolate Ganache:<br>
8 oz high quality chocolate (I use Ghirardelli chocolate chips)<br>
1 c heavy cream</p>
<p>Place chocolate chips in your mixing bowl. Heat cream on the stove until simmering. Pour over chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Let sit until it thickens to a peanut butter consistency then whip.</p>
<p>To assemble: Core chocolate cupcakes (an apple corer works great!). Fill each cupcake with the raspberry white chocolate buttercream and make one swirl of buttercream on top. Then top cupcakes with swirls of the whipped chocolate ganache.</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIMTOUT5rXD22VrBr9qbqv5baKMQoc6k-o2Q2K6YklDtwuWR5qSXmgeDUfZ0zUfpBYXBkozfXbbG7ZJSkp6q0EE1B5BEV0fAvJZ5m-OXkMIqi0EuhS0iLvvTRCvcXkrqTdlIDu7QQT8E/s1600/IMAG0762-1-1.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIMTOUT5rXD22VrBr9qbqv5baKMQoc6k-o2Q2K6YklDtwuWR5qSXmgeDUfZ0zUfpBYXBkozfXbbG7ZJSkp6q0EE1B5BEV0fAvJZ5m-OXkMIqi0EuhS0iLvvTRCvcXkrqTdlIDu7QQT8E/s640/IMAG0762-1-1.jpg' /> </a> </div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-73123386881861663692012-06-24T17:44:00.000-05:002012-06-24T17:44:11.890-05:00Red Velvet ~ A Southern ClassicYikes! It's been a while since we've made a post. We have had an insanely busy two months with non stop orders and deliveries. That doesn't mean we haven't been taste testing new recipes. I've found a made from scratch Devil's Food cake recipe that I love but it does need to be tinkered with to adjust to our climate so I won't post that recipe yet.<br />Instead, I thought I'd share with you our Red Velvet recipe. I'll be honest, the first time we tried a red velvet cake, it was from a box mix and I was just NOT impressed so I never tried again. I thought, "Really? What is all the fuss about?" because I know people who will gush over red velvet cake. I finally searched out several recipes and spent a weekend baking away to get the perfect recipe. I absolutely LOVE this recipe! The recipe makes 36 cupcakes so we are almost always guaranteed to have a few leftover...which makes me happy!<br /><br />Red Velvet Cupcakes<br />
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<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: square; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 25px; text-align: left;">
<li>2 1/2 cups flour (I use all-purpose)</li>
<li>1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</li>
<li>2 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 cup butter, softened</li>
<li>2 1/4 cups sugar</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>1 cup sour cream</li>
<li>1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with 2 teaspoons lemon juice)</li>
<li>1 ounce red food coloring** (okay, that is a lot of red food coloring!) It doesn’t change the taste, so I only use 1 teaspoon unless the red color is really important to me.</li>
<li>4 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">
<strong>DIRECTIONS</strong></div>
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<li>Preheat oven to 330 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.</li>
<li>Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.</li>
<li>Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Gently remove from oven (these are super-moist, and will collapse if you aren’t careful). Cool in pans on wire rack at least 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.</li>
</ol>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-46401226161530014062012-04-22T08:00:00.000-05:002012-04-22T08:00:04.944-05:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Root Beer Float CupcakesI was a little hesitant about trying these. I'm usually pretty excited about new flavors but when we start changing the texture of a classic...like turning a root beer float into a cupcake, I am always leery. I have a hard time getting past the fact that root beer is supposed to be a drink and I can't imagine eating eat. I don't even eat the root beer candies. I know...I have issues. But I really wanted to try these! So I sucked it up, went grocery shopping and whipped up a batch of these. And I don't regret it!<br />
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I looked up several different recipes and they all were basically the same thing. White cake mix mixed with a can/bottle of soda. So I tried it. Again...another doctored cake mix recipe. I really need to find a made from scratch recipe that can be subbed for a cake mix.<br />
The first batch of cupcakes I made, I followed the directions: 1 box of white cake mix + 1 bottle of root beer. They smelled good before being baked and you could definitely taste the root beer. But once it was baked the root beer flavor was much less intense. And the cakes came out with an odd texture. So I altered the altered cake mix recipe :-)<br />
You know the saying "Third time is a charm"? Well, I didn't need a third time! These were amazing and I couldn't keep my family from eating them. Considering that I run a home bakery, that was a bit problematic. I even had a few customers come back for seconds and thirds (And when my customers order, it's by the 6-pk!).<br />
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Root Beer Float Cupcakes:<br />1 box Pillsbury white cake mix<br />
1 cup root beer<br />
3 eggs<br />
1/3 cup oil<br />
2 Tbsp. root beer extract<br />
<br />
Prepare cake mix using the ingredients listed (if you can't tell, I followed the directions on the box subbing root beer for water and adding root beer extract). You may be able to get away with using less root beer extract (it wound up being about 1/2 the bottle). I just used 2 Tbsp to make sure I got a good root beer flavor. Bake as directed and let cool. Top with an ice cream buttercream.<br />
<br />
Ice Cream Buttercream<br />
Vanilla Ice Cream, melted (the premium brands taste better than the store bought)<br />
1 cup butter, softened<br />
1 cup shortening<br />
2# powdered sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
<br />
Cream together the butter, shortening, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Slowly add in half of the powdered sugar. At this point I like to mix in half of my liquid, in this case the melted ice cream. The amount that you mix in will depend on the brand of ice cream you are using. Some thicker than others. I usually start with 1/3 cup and go from there. Once the melted ice cream is blended in (be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl!) add the other half of the powdered sugar. Blend until creamy and smooth. Mix in more melted ice cream until you reach the consistency you would like. It should be another 1/3 cup but again, it will depend on the brand of ice cream you used.Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-28063288695635615732012-04-15T08:00:00.000-05:002012-04-15T08:00:01.628-05:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Chunky Monkey CupcakesThese. Are. Amazing. I'll leave it at that. Unfortunately (I hate to admit this) this recipe is a doctored cake mix. Which I have nothing against, but I love made from scratch foods so I try to do as much home-made as possible. I'm working my way through recipes to see if I can get a good homemade vanilla mix that would work as a substitute for doctored cake mix recipes. But for now, the box mix will have to work.<br />
This cupcake is full of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey awesomeness. It has a great banana flavor, big chunks of walnuts and lots of chocolate. It just can't go wrong!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Cupcake Recipe:<br />1 box white cake mix (I used Pillsbury)<br />
1 container Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey<br />
3 eggs<br />
Vanilla Ice cream, if needed<br />
banana extract, optional<br />
dark chocolate chocolate chips<br />
walnuts, chopped<br />
<br />
Ice Cream Buttercream<br />
Vanilla Ice Cream, melted<br />
1 c. butter<br />
1 c. shortening<br />
2# powdered sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
<br />
*This recipe will work with any ice cream flavor, you'll just need to adjust the topping. The first step is to let your ice cream sit out until it is melted. Or you could melt it in the microwave. Once it's melted you will need to measure it. You need to have 2 cups of melted ice cream. Ben & Jerry's is usually pretty close to 2 cups and the only time I need to add ice cream is when I use a flavor such as "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" and that's because I have to pull out the big pieces of candy that are in the ice cream.<br />
Mix all of the ingredients together. I added 1 1/2 tsp of banana extract to make sure that I got a good banana flavor. The batter will be a lot thicker than a regular prepared box mix. I add in extra chocolate and walnuts to make sure that there are some in each cupcake. And that's it!<br />
I always bake my cupcakes at 330*. These took 20-22 minutes to bake. Let them cool completely and then frost with an ice cream buttercream and more chocolate chips and walnuts (and I added drizzled fudge sauce to mine).<br />
To make the buttercream, cream together the butter, shortening, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure that everything is smooth. Turn the mixer on low and mix in half of the powdered sugar slowly. At this point, I like to mix in about 1/2 of my liquid which for this recipe will be the melted ice cream. The amount you will need will depend on the consistency of your ice cream. To start with, I'd say mix in 1/3 of a cup. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and the bottom to make sure you don't get any surprise dry spots. Turn mixer on low and add more melted ice cream until it reaches a creamy consistency.<br />
Top your cooled cupcakes with the buttercream and then top as desired. I've found it easier to start with the fudge drizzle because the other toppings will stick to the fudge.Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-38289060146450039132012-03-24T08:47:00.000-05:002012-03-24T08:47:00.201-05:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Take 5 CupcakesWe have a list of cupcake flavors we'd like to try. And we finally got some free time to make up a batch. I let my Facebook fans choose which flavor they'd like to try the most and the cupcake chosen was a Take 5 Cupcake.<br />
The Take 5 candy bar is a combination of pretzels, peanut butter, caramel, and chocolate. Can you say yum! I found a great looking cupcake recipe on pinterest and decided to give it a go. As with trying out any new recipe, I'm always leary of what I don't know. But these turned out great (though I made a few small alterations).<br />
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<br />
This recipe is from Jamie at <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/take-5-cupcakes/" target="_blank">My Baking Addiction</a><br />
<span itemprop="name" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #767676; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span><br />
<h1 class="fn" style="color: #7ca0aa; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 28px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Take 5 Cupcakes</h1>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #767676; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
<div class="time" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #9d9d9d; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<strong style="font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">YIELD:</strong> <span itemprop="recipeYield" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">24 Cupcakes</span></div>
<div class="time" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #9d9d9d; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<strong style="font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">PREP TIME:</strong> <span class="preptime" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">30 minutes</span></div>
<div class="time" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #9d9d9d; float: left; font-family: Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<strong style="font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">COOK TIME:</strong> <span class="cooktime" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">22 minutes</span></div>
<h2 id="ingredients" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; background-image: url(http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_183/custom/images/line.png); background-position: 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; clear: left; color: #e5cd67; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, sans-serif, Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">
INGREDIENTS:</h2>
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For the Cupcakes</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist)<br />
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix<br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
1 cup vegetable oil<br />
4 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup warm water<br />
24 Fun Size Take 5 Candy Bars; cut in half</div>
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For the Peanut Butter <a class="kLink" href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/take-5-cupcakes/#" id="KonaLink2" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; border-bottom-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; bottom: 0px; color: #385865; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="color: #385865; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Butter </span><span class="kLink" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit !important; font-weight: inherit !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Cream</span></span></a></h4>
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3 sticks unsalted butter, softened<br />
1 cup creamy peanut butter<br />
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract<br />
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted<br />
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream (if using milk, amount will be less)</div>
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Caramel Sauce (<a href="http://sweetdesignsbymandi.blogspot.com/2012/03/made-from-scratch-caramel-sauce.html" target="_blank">recipe here</a>)</h4>
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Crushed Pretzels</h4>
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For the Chocolate Glaze </h4>
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4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons honey<br />
2 tablespoons light corn syrup<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</div>
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DIRECTIONS:</h2>
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For the Cupcakes</h4>
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.</div>
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2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.</div>
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3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. </div>
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4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.</div>
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5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.</div>
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For the Peanut Butter Buttercream</h4>
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1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.</div>
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2. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy</div>
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3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Prepare Chocolate Glaze.</div>
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For the Chocolate Glaze Assembly</h4>
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1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.</div>
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2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.</div>
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Assembly</h4>
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Sprinkle crushed pretzels onto the peanut butter buttercream. You may need to slightly press them into place. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of caramel sauce on top of the cupcake. You can use store bought caramel sauce but it won't be as thick. Top with another heaping tablespoon of chocolate ganache. Let set.</div>
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*Optional: sprinkling crushed peanuts onto chocolate ganache</div>
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</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-83031341931537501932012-03-23T07:34:00.001-05:002012-03-23T07:34:28.528-05:00Made from scratch caramel sauce!Don't be intimidated by the title! This is possibly one of the easiest things in the world to make and tastes great. I originally found this recipe from <a href="http://www.annies-eats.com/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a> (I love her website!). I mentally bookmarked the idea and forgot about (in other words: was too afraid to try it) for a few months. Read the directions and you'll understand why. So for the time being, I kept using the gourmet sauce that my awesome husband was able to order for me through his work (Marrying a chef has it's perks). Eventually though, I was using so much, so sporadically that it was getting hard to figure out if we needed more and how much more. When you go from using 2 lbs of caramel sauce a week to not using any for two weeks, it's hard to decide how much you should keep on hand.<br />I operate completely out of my small house (Yay for cottage food laws!) so space is limited. I went back to Annie's recipe but I was a little afraid of cooking sugar. More specifically, I was afraid that I'd burn the sugar. So I tried several different recipes that had sugar dissolved in a liquid. And none of them turned out great. And if there is one thing I am a little OCD about, it's making sure that what comes out of my kitchen is great.<br />
So reluctantly I tried Annie's recipe.<br />
The first time I made it, I did not realize that the sugar on the bottom of the pan would be melting while it appeared like nothing was happening from the top. I'll admit it, it was a little overcooked but I noticed it too late into cooking the sugar to do anything about and figured what the heck, keep going and see how it turns out. It turned out great! The first day it was obvious that it had been over cooked. The second day, the flavor had mellowed out a bit and after the third day, my husband was declaring it better than anything he'd ever tried. Notice my jar of caramel....almost gone. I didn't think to take a picture of it until after I had filled up my squeeze bottle.<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;">Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce</strong></span><br /><i><br /></i></div>
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<em>Yield: </em>1½ cups<br /><em>Ingredients:</em><br />1 cup sugar<br />1¼ cups heavy cream<br />1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise<br />¼ tsp. coarse salt<br />½ tsp. vanilla extract</div>
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<em>Directions:</em><br />Spread the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, watching carefully. When the sugar begins to liquefy around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to gently stir it towards the center. Continue stirring very gently until all the sugar is melted, taking care not to over stir. Measure out the heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream. Set aside. Once the caramel reaches a deep amber color, immediately remove the sauce pan from the heat. (To test the color, spoon a drop onto a white plate or bowl.) Carefully whisk in half of the heavy cream along with the vanilla bean seeds. The mixture will steam and bubble violently. Stir until the cream is well incorporated, then whisk in the remaining cream. Stir in the salt and the vanilla. If any sugar has hardened, place the saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth.</div>
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Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If needed, it can be rewarmed in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat.</div>
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*From my experience, the sugar always hardens when you add the cream. I might try heating up the cream next time...if I remember...and see if that helps. If that happens, just keep the sauce over a medium low heat and stir (and stir and stir) until smooth. If you don't have vanilla bean or don't want to spend $4 on one bean, the sauce also tastes great without it.</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-33484818841675606962012-03-13T17:44:00.004-05:002012-03-13T17:44:58.760-05:00DIY Electronic Quiz boardAll three of my boys are Boy Scouts. Not only does that make our schedule extremely hectic during the school year, but it also keeps me super busy because I'm usually the one helping them out with their achievements/electives.<div>
My oldest son's den went to the Science Center to learn about electricity. Because it was on a Sunday, we weren't able to go with them so we did our own electricity science experiment at home. At the beginning of the school year we had checked out a book from the library that had design plans for building an electronic quiz board. And naturally, because I decided that would be a good replacement achievement for Christian, I wasn't able to find the book again. But I wasn't too worried because I figured somewhere on google, there would be some information I could use. I was wrong. There are some made with a Christmas light bulb and aluminum foil on cardstock. But I had plans on using this board for impromptu home-school quizzes. </div>
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Let me start out by saying, I have absolutely no experience with electricity except for plugging something in or flipping a switch. But I'm never one to back down from a challenge! Lowe's sells small 6W light bulb sockets and bulbs in the hobby section of their hardware aisle. But it would have been $10ish just for those two parts. Plus buying the wires, battery packs, etc. I wanted this to be cheap! Ultimately, I spent $16 on a large quiz board that we will use every week.</div>
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Supplies:</div>
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Large 6V lattern battery (found in camping aisle at Walmart): $5.00</div>
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Light Bulbs (used car bulbs b/c the wires are exposed) $5.00/2</div>
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Electrical Wiring $5.00/65 ft</div>
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1.5" Nuts and Bolts (pack of 11) $1.00</div>
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Scrap lumber</div>
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Alligator (hair) Clips (possibly at Walmart in the crafts aisle or Michaels)</div>
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Notecards</div>
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Paperclips.</div>
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Drill</div>
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Wire Strippers/Cutters</div>
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Hot Glue Gun & Glue</div>
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We had scraps of lumber laying around and the alligator clips so that helped cut cost a bit but if you have to purchase some, it shouldn't be too much more expensive.</div>
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I started out with two 1x2's and cut them to the size of a piece of thin plyboard that we had. Hopefully I can find my camera and cord soon so I can add pictures of the back side to show you all aspects of the project. For now, I'll explain it as easily as I can.</div>
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Instead of nailing/screwing the plyboard to the wood, I used bolts that were longer than needed leaving enough on each end to accommodate the parts. I am a perfectionist so I measured where each bolt would go and drilled a hole thru the plyboard and wood. Originally I started with a thicker bolt but had to switch to a longer, skinnier one so that left the holes I had drilled a little too large. I just dabbed some hot glue on the bolt to keep it in place. You should have equal proportions of "extra bolt" on the front and back sides (This allows a place for the alligator clip to grasp).</div>
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Once I had the wood and bolts on, I added the lightbulb. I rough-sketched the size of the hole I would need so that just the bulb was showing on the front side and the fuse wires were showing on the back side. Once the bulb was placed into it's spot, I lined the front and back with hot glue so that it wouldn't come out. Once the glue is dried, pop the two wires that are folded up, out. This is probably hard to visualize doing without proper pictures. Notice, the wires at the bottom of the plug in portion of the light bulb? They will easily "unlock" so that they are sticking straight out. Just insert a butter knife and twist them out. Having them out is essential because you'll be connecting those wires to the electrical wire. </div>
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Next, I drilled two holes, one on each side, of the lightbulb. This is for the wire to go through. Most of the electrical parts are on the back side with the exception of the Question clip and Answer clip. Measure your electrical wire so that it will reach each of the bolts. It would really stink to have it too short! Don't forget that you'll want a little extra length because you still have to attach the alligator clip and the battery/lightbulb. </div>
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To attach the alligator clip, strip the coating from one end of the wire. Insert the bare wire into the hole, secure the wire in place using a pair of plyers and cover with electrical tape. I believe you can actually buy electrical alligator clips...I think I saw some in the camping aisle at Wal-Mart in the section for boat batteries. I just used these because it's what I had on hand and I wanted this to be as cheap as possible. Remember, you will need two clips.</div>
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Once you've finished that part, on the back side of the board, you'll strip the other end of the wires. After that's done, you'll attach one of the wires directly to the battery (just wrap and twist around one of the coils). The other wire will be attached to the wires on one side of the light bulb. Then you'll cut another short length of wire, strip both ends and attach one end to the other coil on the battery and the other end to the other wire(s) on the lightbulb. </div>
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Now, for the game to work, you'll have to fill out your question side and answer side of the board (written on note cards and taped in place). After you have all of those in place, measure out additional wire for each question. You'll want it to be long enough to reach the answer (preferably long enough to reach any answer so that you can reuse the same wire over and over). Once they are measured and cut, strip each and and attach to a paper clip. Place one paper clip from each wire onto the back side of a question bolt. Use a nut to secure it into place. Then attach the other end to the correct answer bolt, again securing in place with a nut.</div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Now test it out!</div>
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<br /></div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-40331387391034947342012-03-05T17:26:00.002-06:002012-03-05T17:28:35.076-06:00Customize a cakeHave I mentioned before that these months are the slow months for me? It's nice to get a break but at the same time, I love baking and trying out new flavors, and staying busy. I haven't had much in the way of orders the past few weeks. Or at least orders that are for recipes I haven't already shared with you.<br />
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I was however, asked to babysit for a family (that I love) so the mom and dad could celebrate her birthday. I was already trying to figure out a design for a birthday cake for her so this worked out great. In my mind I had picked out a beautiful design with modeled flowers spilling out over the cake. But once I learned that I would have their 3 boys my design took on a completely different design.<br />
I had been planning on making one of the most adorable cakes for my husband for either his birthday in a few weeks or for Father's Day. It all depended on if I found another manly cake that I wanted to make for him and which occasion it would fit better. The idea was to have my kids collaborate together and draw a picture for him. My kids are quite the artists (if I may brag a little) so I knew that the picture would be full of detail and wouldn't need much design from me. And then I would use my edible image printer to copy that picture onto icing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl7I_dpmUti83NmWaGD9_CYUCr4i7JcZdMf8QQTNYwMi_0cvE8eeNMrNhQ3kycpkjOl17rpw7FR_4yx6XWloD-IKVEcKZDCcRdcmptOX_UKddV3aGrhWaqQtSWgRXpQEwkfNTueABeCI/s1600/edible+printer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl7I_dpmUti83NmWaGD9_CYUCr4i7JcZdMf8QQTNYwMi_0cvE8eeNMrNhQ3kycpkjOl17rpw7FR_4yx6XWloD-IKVEcKZDCcRdcmptOX_UKddV3aGrhWaqQtSWgRXpQEwkfNTueABeCI/s640/edible+printer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>This was the same "design" we used for this birthday cake. Only, I had planned on the boys being eager to draw pictures. They weren't. And I should have known better. I keep forgetting how young they are because they are quite the mature little boys. Instead, we picked out some coloring pictures online and I let them color those to transfer to the cake. Well, picking out a picture wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. They knew they wanted a princess for their mom but they (the older two) couldn't agree on any one picture. So I let them each have their own and then I would just put three pictures on the cake. Except, one boy colored his picture so good (in one solid color) that you couldn't tell what the picture actually was. And the youngest boy had absolutely no desire to color. He was more interested in watching my fish tank. So I backtracked again and let the middle son pick out the picture he wanted, I let the older son color it, and then I let the youngest one help me ice the cake. And when I say "ice" I mean he kept taste-testing it to make sure it tasted good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFP-LZ5hcOaByvVN88pgpN37bUfLnkB002S85YaLHm6-63G42AVUTGVKHkoUDl9aHjUWdiMAEg-zPyOqG-DY42F5QXF9iZedul1D0ebNtVUvVv_JxaLHACFwVq7F9AIXX64uVn3fv0gs/s1600/477351_10150645205460513_612335512_9264686_749232131_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFP-LZ5hcOaByvVN88pgpN37bUfLnkB002S85YaLHm6-63G42AVUTGVKHkoUDl9aHjUWdiMAEg-zPyOqG-DY42F5QXF9iZedul1D0ebNtVUvVv_JxaLHACFwVq7F9AIXX64uVn3fv0gs/s640/477351_10150645205460513_612335512_9264686_749232131_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What's great about this is that you don't have to be a cake decorator to do it. You can take a picture your child drew to any cake shop offering edible images and they should be able to scan it in. My local cake lady charges $8 for a printed edible image. Though it does get a little tricky if you want to do a licensed character as most cake shops won't want to risk copyright infringement charges. That being said, all it takes to obtain copyright permission is a phone call. I know someone who insists on calling every parent company of any image/character she wants to re-create. 100% of the time they laugh at her and say that she did not have to get permission. (Because cake is a consumable product and won't last more than 1-2 days). But it never hurts to be safe!<br />
On a side note...I know that $8 doesn't really seem very expensive but if this is something that you would do more than a few times (and it's such a great way to personalize the cake for a parent/grandparent so why wouldn't you do it more than once!?) it might be worth it to look into investing in your own edible image printer hard/software. Especially if your friends or family want to do the same thing, because they may be willing to contribute to the cost. There are some systems that cost upwards of $500 or more. But, the printer pictured above is the exact printer that I use and purchased brand new for $49. The trick....you can use a brand new Canon or Epson printer as long as someone makes an edible ink cartridge that is compatible with it.<br />
<a href="http://kopykake.com/" target="_blank">Kopykake</a> sells the edible ink that is needed for the printers and offers a <a href="http://kopykake.com/documents/PrinterInks-Xref.pdf" target="_blank">list</a> of all compatible printers. My total investment for my edible image printing set up (printer, ink, frosting sheets) was $150. I have some great projects and ideas for my EIP and I can't wait to start showing them off!Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-88576986414844997572012-02-18T08:00:00.000-06:002012-02-18T08:00:03.615-06:00Tiramisu Layer Cake<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tiramisu is a delicious Italian dessert. Traditionally, tiramisu consists of ladyfingers soaked in coffee and layered between a sweet mascarpone filling. The first time I made this dessert, it was for dinner at a friend's house. I wasn't sure what to make and wanted it to be something more than cookies or a plain cake. I scoured <a href="http://allrecipes.com/">allrecipes.com</a> for a new dessert to try. Because this was for dinner at a friend's house, I wanted the recipe to be highly rated. I narrowed it down to two possibilities: tiramisu or baklava. Apparently I was feeling ethnic that day. Because I didn't have access to thawed out phyllo dough to make the baklava, I went with the tiramisu. This recipe has over 1000 five star ratings! I didn't make many changes to it the first time...I omitted all of the liqueur and replaced it with plain coffee. Now that I've made it a hundred times, I still haven't changed a thing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAVOgfs7HBxSOwrUCq4bCtxEu1BQBsUlNwjdsdz4Jv9nL4e7fCLd0RTck0rviCVa_G2ItDjQTwqo5joLoIRxBRytj_OAW7VZHPrH0-eLn_m8IkM8ohF-TZFBUuqwmQlkkt6H8Nvb09YM/s1600/60309_450470205512_612335512_5113072_5655174_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAVOgfs7HBxSOwrUCq4bCtxEu1BQBsUlNwjdsdz4Jv9nL4e7fCLd0RTck0rviCVa_G2ItDjQTwqo5joLoIRxBRytj_OAW7VZHPrH0-eLn_m8IkM8ohF-TZFBUuqwmQlkkt6H8Nvb09YM/s640/60309_450470205512_612335512_5113072_5655174_n.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I surrounded the cake with pirouette cookies and topped it with a light dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate shavings (white chocolate and semisweet chocolate). I also made some cupcakes for the kids because I didn't think they'd appreciate all of the coffee flavor and I knew I wouldn't appreciate all of the caffeine from the coffee! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When we got to their house, we started talking about food (naturally). Bro. Doug asked if I knew how to make baklava. He had tried it when he went to Israel and it was apparently a new favorite of his. Darn it! I knew I should have gone with the baklava!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Then I introduced them to tiramisu. Now, this is NOT a traditional tiramisu. This is a layer cake and contains no biscuits or ladyfingers. But it is just as delicious. After I made this cake the first time, my husband went to work bragging about it and one of his coworkers ordered on. I'm not sure why he would order it though because he specifically told my husband, "I've tried tiramisu and I didn't like it." I think he was having a party for his girlfriend and she liked coffee....Whatever the reason, I know that this customer had tried tiramisu from an Italian bakery and had not been impressed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And then...I delivered his cake. He couldn't stop talking about how great it was. Personally, I've never had real tiramisu either so I can't make comparisons but I can tell you that this is a customer favorite! Probably the most popular flavor cake I have for now and one of the top selling cupcakes as well. And after all that praise I just gave it, I'm a little embarrassed to admit....it comes from a box mix!</span><br />
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<h3 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span></h3>
<ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">CAKE:</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 (18.25 ounce) package moist white cake mix</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1 teaspoon instant coffee powder or espresso powder</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">strong coffee</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1 tablespoon coffee flavored liqueur</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">FILLING:</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup confectioners' sugar</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">FROSTING:</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 cups heavy cream</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1/4 cup confectioners' sugar</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">GARNISH:</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder</span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Directions</span></h3>
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<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) pans.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Prepare one cake mix according to package directions. Pour into prepared pan.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Prepare second cake mix, substituting coffee for the water. Add in instant coffee or espresso powder. Pour into prepared pan.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. In a measuring cup, combine brewed coffee and 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur; set aside.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To make the filling: In a small bowl, using an electric mixer set on low speed, combine mascarpone, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur; beat just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the cream, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur until stiff. Fold 1/2 cup of cream mixture into filling mixture.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To assemble the cake: Level and tort cakes into two pieces. Place one coffee cake layer on a serving plate. Using a thin skewer, poke holes in cake, about 1 inch apart. Pour one third of reserved coffee mixture over cake, then spread with half of the filling mixture. Top with a plain cake layer; poke holes in cake. Pour another third of the coffee mixture over the second layer and spread with the remaining filling. Top with remaining coffee cake layer; poke holes in cake. (You won't use the second piece of plain cake...but you could...add an extra layer and adjust your filling amount) Pour remaining coffee mixture on top. Spread sides and top of cake with frosting. Place cocoa in a sieve and lightly dust top of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.</span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">At some point in time...after I had made the recipe several times and didn't actually need to look at the recipe anymore, I forgot about mixing in half of the whipped topping mixture into the filling mixture...but everybody still loves it and that's how I make it now. Because I surround the cake with pirouette cookies, I usually just make a coffee flavored buttercream instead of the whipped topping. It holds up better, still tastes great, and makes me less anxious to drive anywhere with the cake. (We usually go on a lot of hilly, bumpy, curvy roads).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">My sister-in-law made this cake for her daughter's birthday and completely forgot about the middle, plain vanilla layer. People still gave the cake rave reviews so if you don't feel like wasting part of the vanilla cake, feel free to skip the middle layer!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I have found that mascarpone cheese is a little difficult to find and when you do find it, it is a little pricey. Here's a cheap alternative:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">8oz cream cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1/4 c. whipping cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2 1/2 T. sour cream</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl often. Add whipping cream and sour cream and mix until smooth and combined. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I usually make this faux mascarpone in the KitchenAid and then go straight to making the filling. It is slightly more than you need but it won't make a difference. </span><br />
<br />Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-71695388073596887042012-02-14T07:30:00.000-06:002012-02-14T07:30:03.721-06:00Happy Valentine's Day!Recently, my sister and I were talking. She had made some cheesecake stuffed strawberries that she saw on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">pinterest</a>. She couldn't stop gushing about how great they were. Then she made them again but this time drizzled them in chocolate...another pinterest idea. Even better than before!<div>
So, two days before Valentine's Day we decided that it would make a great cupcake. We discussed what type of base cake, what type of icing, what type of toppings and now...I present "Sweet Temptations":<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO1g6bG6Pm0bLpLjNM_wzjcwYPWPSqvUhLVff0yg30eGT-7kWU1DiTr6FdspA3VCFGwmpPoqSzPs34WZeM0HohZA6DP6eB2YX35b74Eb__qikJT6W7G704wOcJrSLbAXUDmN4dyiEFkY/s1600/332076_10150617742895513_612335512_9194075_2090807476_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO1g6bG6Pm0bLpLjNM_wzjcwYPWPSqvUhLVff0yg30eGT-7kWU1DiTr6FdspA3VCFGwmpPoqSzPs34WZeM0HohZA6DP6eB2YX35b74Eb__qikJT6W7G704wOcJrSLbAXUDmN4dyiEFkY/s640/332076_10150617742895513_612335512_9194075_2090807476_o.jpg" width="382" /></a></div>
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<br />This is a chocolate cake topped with fresh strawberry buttercream, rolled in chocolate bits, and garnished with a DELICIOUS chocolate-covered, cheesecake-stuffed strawberry. Doesn't that just sound amazing?</div>
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Happy Valentine's Day!<br /></div>
</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-81563921380471550382012-02-12T11:12:00.001-06:002012-02-12T11:12:48.918-06:00Cakes of the WeekThis week was a busy week! I had a total of 4 cake orders, which wouldn't be too bad...but wait until you see one of the cakes! On top of those 4 cakes, our church is having their Valentine's Day fellowship today and I signed up to make some desserts. Plus, my weekly Blessing "Basket". And then yesterday, my husband announced, "I think I need a cake for Sunday." A total of 8 cakes!!! Here they are!<br />
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There were two tiramisu cakes and the chocolate truffle cheesecake. One cake is not pictured here because it had already been picked up:</div>
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I am not enlarging these last two pics. Can you spot the 3 differences? My daughter "helped" decorate the cake...while I took a shower. But I can't be too mad at her...she's only 4. Future cake decorator?Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-77257548585946017322012-02-11T15:26:00.000-06:002012-02-11T15:26:15.254-06:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Cheesecake CupcakesThese are one of my most popular cupcakes. They disappear as soon as I open a box of them. You can make them in a variety of flavors and not change the recipe. I think my favorite are the Blueberry Cheesecake (pictured below). This is also one of the easiest "recipes" to make!<br />
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This has 4 layers to it: the crust, the cake, the icing, and the topping. The crust and icing can be made in no time and the topping is up to you - buy canned pie filling or prepare your own.<br />
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The Crust<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 1/4 cups Graham Cracker crumbs<br />
3 Tbsp sugar<br />
1/3 cup butter, melted<br />
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Combine ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. You can also add a dash of cinnamon for more flavor. Once it is ready, scoop a small amount (I use a cookie scoop) into your cupcake liners and press down. I've found that my kids little plastic cups is the perfect size to fit the cups but you could also use your fingers.<br />
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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (courtesy of <a href="http://annies-eats.com/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a>)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Ingredients</em><em>:</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i>3 cups cake flour<br />1 tbsp. baking powder<br />½ tsp. salt<br />1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise<br />16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />2 cups sugar<br />5 large eggs, at room temperature<br />1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature<br />1 tbsp. vanilla extract</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Directions:</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i>Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">At this point, you can add in any options you'd like. If I make Blueberry Cheesecake, I add in dried blueberries or in a pinch, I'll use frozen. I am a Minnesota brat so the "fresh" blueberries at the store do not pass my high standards. I'd like to stick with the wild ones I'm used to. If I want cherry cheesecakes, I'll dice up some Maraschino cherries but I am not a cherry fan and I don't know many who are so I really don't make the cherry version often. For a strawberry option, dice up fresh strawberries and toss in the batter.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Once they are cooled top with the <a href="http://sweetdesignsbymandi.blogspot.com/2012/01/cheesecake-icing.html" target="_blank">Cheesecake Icing</a> recipe. Then top with your favorite topping. Super simple but they impress everybody. I haven ventured into making my own fruit compotes yet. I've experimented with melba sauce (raspberry) and strawberry but I'm usually pretty busy in the kitchen anyway and my experience is that you have to use your topping right away...well, within a week, and I would end up throwing half of it away (I'm not impressed with freezing it either).</span></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-1134345363290107002012-02-09T18:34:00.001-06:002012-02-09T18:38:35.823-06:00Crock Pot GumboMy husband is a big New Orleans food fan....gumbo, jambalaya, etc. He always asks for it. However, I am NOT a seafood person. I don't even do fish...at all. However, I am a crock pot fan and occasionally, I do like to spoil my husband. So, when I recently searched for new crock pot recipes and I saw this <a href="http://www.momswhothink.com/crock-pot-recipes/crock-pot-chicken-and-sausage-gumbo.html" target="_blank">gumbo</a>, I knew I'd give it a try. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my husband....that's true love!<br />
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We didn't make many modifications with it other than my husband wasn't patient enough to wait for the 4-5 hours it takes to cook in the crock pot so we stuck with the stove top. One thing to note, despite being gumbo, the original recipe does not call for any seafood. I think this might have been an oversight.<br />
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Crock Pot Chicken and Sausage Gumbo</h1>
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This Louisiana favorite is made easier by utilizing your crock pot, to make it even simpler you can prepare this recipe through step 2 and refrigerate the mixture overnight, reheat in the morning (the mixture will have solidified) and add to your crock pot. Just like traditional gumbo, this recipe includes seafood and poultry with sausage and is flavored with a dark brown roux. Roux is nothing more than flour cooked gently in some type of fat to form a paste that is used to thicken sauces.</div>
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<strong>Ingredients:</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">½</span> cup vegetable oil<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">½</span> cup unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
2 medium onions, minced<br />
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine<br />
1 celery rib, chopped fine<br />
6 medium garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves, or <span style="font-size: 12pt;">½</span> teaspoon dried<br />
Salt, to taste<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">¼</span> teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth<br />
1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced <span style="font-size: 12pt;">½</span> inch thick<br />
12 ounces fresh okra, sliced ½ inch thick, or frozen cut okra, thawed<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (about 12 medium), skin removed and trimmed<br />
4 scallions, sliced thin<br />
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves</div>
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*2 lbs of peeled and de-veined shrimp</div>
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<strong>Directions:</strong></div>
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1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until simmering. Gradually stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, working out any small lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, reaching into the corners of the pan, until the mixture has a toasty aroma and is deep reddish brown; about 20 minutes. (The roux will thin as it cooks; if it begins to smoke, remove it from the heat and stir constantly to cool slightly.)</div>
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2. Stir in the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth in a slow, steady stream. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer.</div>
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3. Once simmering, transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the sausage, okra, and bay leaves until evenly combined.</div>
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4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and nestle it in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours.</div>
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5. Remove the chicken to a platter and let cool slightly. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon. Using two forks, shred the chicken, discarding the bones and fat. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the shredded chicken, scallions, and parsley. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until shrimp is done. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. Serve with rice.</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-48188186003065581442012-02-04T14:00:00.000-06:002012-02-04T14:00:00.326-06:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Chocolate Passion CupcakesThis cupcake is ALL about the chocolate: chocolate cake, topped with chocolate icing, drizzled with chocolate fudge, and sprinkled with chocolate chips. My sister as adequately nick-named these cupcakes the "PMS Cupcakes". Ladies....you understand. I'm even debating adding a fudge cream filled center. Okay, truth is, I've wanted to add the filled center but my memory is lacking so I never remember until after I've put the mound of chocolate icing on top. Either way, these will definitely cure any chocolate cravings that you have.<br />
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You start with the chocolate cupcake base. You can use your favorite from scratch recipe or box mix. I use the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate cake recipe:<br />
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Ingredients</h3>
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<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 cups white sugar</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 eggs</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 cup milk</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/2 cup vegetable oil</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 cup boiling water</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> </li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/2 cup butter</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2/3 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">3 cups confectioners' sugar</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/3 cup milk</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
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Directions</h3>
<ol style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">To make "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">Once your cupcakes are cooled, top with a <a href="http://sweetdesignsbymandi.blogspot.com/2012/01/chocolate-buttercream.html" target="_blank">chocolate buttercream icing</a>. Garnish as desired. To drizzle with fudge, I microwave a jar of hot fudge sauce for 30 seconds. Long enough to make it gooey but not long enough to make it hot. Put the fudge in a ziploc bag or decorator bag (disposable or fitted with a #2 tip). Snip the corner and start drizzling. </span></span></div>
</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-63453705369808548492012-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:002012-02-09T18:47:30.118-06:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Pumpkin Spice Latte CupcakesThis recipe perhaps one of my most requested cupcakes...even if it is the same repeat customer every week! In all seriousness though, this is my most popular fall flavor. I modified a recipe from <a href="http://annies-eats.com/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a> but just barely. She has such great recipes - be sure to check them out. I have yet to find one that I don't like!<br />
I originally searched for this recipe because I tend to follow Starbucks as far as seasonal flavors. The very same day I started searching for it, Annie posted the recipe on her website. It was fate!<br />
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmO5XUjOhCBsyz7DN_2y8sjfddq3RZugnhgkGxLELSQnHrCUyPUU_JZB0StdCOr87H2N88GB4ILWUyWAaRNtL5vnVdkaVnk-QZ4GpdKz1aRfv1K_J1Sy9n7uC9odsONqWnKHPnr1QizM/s1600/302649_201329716599698_148877971844873_486074_2060110489_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmO5XUjOhCBsyz7DN_2y8sjfddq3RZugnhgkGxLELSQnHrCUyPUU_JZB0StdCOr87H2N88GB4ILWUyWAaRNtL5vnVdkaVnk-QZ4GpdKz1aRfv1K_J1Sy9n7uC9odsONqWnKHPnr1QizM/s640/302649_201329716599698_148877971844873_486074_2060110489_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ingredients:<br />
<h3 class="post-title-small upper dk-grey" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: -5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;">
INGREDIENTS</h3>
<div class="li_container" id="li_container1" style="background-color: white;">
<ul class="ing-list li_cont1" style="float: left; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 1px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 201px;">
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2 tbsp. espresso powder</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2 tsp. baking soda</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2 tsp. baking powder</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1 tsp. ground cinnamon</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1/8 tsp. ground cloves</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1 tsp. salt</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree</li>
<li class="li_col1" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1 cup sugar</li>
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<ul class="li_cont2 ing-list" style="float: left; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 1px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 201px;">
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1 cup brown sugar</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">1/3 cup brewed coffee</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">4 large eggs</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">½ cup coffee or espresso, for brushing</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">2¼ cups heavy cream, chilled</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">¼ cup confectioners' sugar</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">Ground cinnamon</li>
<li class="li_col2" style="margin-bottom: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 0px; width: 190px;">Caramel sauce</li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">If you don't have espresso powder, don't sweat it. In a pinch, I've used instant cappuccino mixes such as Maxwell House International. I also sometimes top my cupcakes with a regular buttercream icing (pictured) and it still tastes great.</span></span></div>
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<ul class="directions-list" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and coffee. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://annies-eats.com/wp-content/themes/annies-eats/images/dotted-line.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;">Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans. While the cupcakes are still warm, brush them two or three times with the coffee or espresso, allowing the first coat to soak in before repeating. Let cool completely.</li>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-low speed at first, gradually increasing to high speed. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.</span>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">One great trick to sprinkling on the perfect amount of cinnamon - I use a mesh tea strainer. It works great and you don't get too much cinnamon or clumps of it. It's such a popular cupcake for me in that fall that I will premix the dry ingredients and store it in a mason jar. One recipe perfectly fills up a one quart jar.</span></div>
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</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-60980721361642751592012-02-01T00:44:00.000-06:002012-02-01T00:45:05.771-06:00Seuss-tastic Birthday!When our youngest daughter turned 2, we threw a huge Dr. Seuss themed party for her. It wasn't really "huge" because we went all out and spared no expense. It was huge because we have 50ish family and immediate friends that we invite to our get togethers. My husband has 7 immediate brothers and sisters, who {mostly} each have several children, plus I don't know how many half brothers/sisters and step brothers/sisters. It's really confusing and after 7 years of marriage, I still don't know them all.<br />
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I'm not positive how I developed the Seuss theme but I'm fairly certain it started with the books. I thought it'd be really cute to have a book party but I wanted it to be a little more themed than just books. I scoured the web and happened upon two great blogs: <a href="http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/" target="_blank">So Wonderful So Marvelous</a> and <a href="http://annies-eats.com/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a>. They each have adorable Dr. Seuss parties in their archives. I absolutely loved the invite that Michelle over at SWSM:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLaNjP-6_KwMYOszJD2eb0pAbX-pAdZKioBvbKbfwoBZIqia9wJwXG1g3DzfUg79bI-atdRTxykJZq7jXnu5sOWKEhI2PjG2bA8NrTFOtK7HIwqLk0eA3JRDxrXk5YOHp4bmYwSQvFug/s1600/Dr+Seuss+invite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLaNjP-6_KwMYOszJD2eb0pAbX-pAdZKioBvbKbfwoBZIqia9wJwXG1g3DzfUg79bI-atdRTxykJZq7jXnu5sOWKEhI2PjG2bA8NrTFOtK7HIwqLk0eA3JRDxrXk5YOHp4bmYwSQvFug/s400/Dr+Seuss+invite.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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IT'S A BOOK!</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, it was just a little to pricey for me to be able to afford the 30+ invites that we needed and I didn't feel like undertaking that big of a project just for the invites. But I still came up with a pretty cute invite (if I do say so myself!):</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o88loS1qrM5ax_MALVMNn7vTRSXA9HjZlBapQfhox30PuRYMasoG8JRtzjeaAVtlE_x1li4nZRY7K1FW4OaS_WOIiXetD44Ao0Y51V8NNmfTXlHEssoOOGdS5tGFM7fmHVUktmZ0T3w/s1600/247108_159033167496020_148877971844873_353996_3829298_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3o88loS1qrM5ax_MALVMNn7vTRSXA9HjZlBapQfhox30PuRYMasoG8JRtzjeaAVtlE_x1li4nZRY7K1FW4OaS_WOIiXetD44Ao0Y51V8NNmfTXlHEssoOOGdS5tGFM7fmHVUktmZ0T3w/s320/247108_159033167496020_148877971844873_353996_3829298_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wound up using great ideas from both Michelle and Annie. Be sure to check out their blog posts <a href="http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2010/01/dr-seuss-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://annies-eats.com/2010/06/28/andrews-second-birthday-party/" target="_blank">here</a>, respectively. Here are the photos from our party:</div>
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The Food!</div>
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Activities:</div>
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The Goodie Bags!</div>
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Finishing Touches: Matching Outfits!</div>
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I had my boys dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2.</div>
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And a special guest appearance!</div>
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With the obvious exception of the matching game, everything was hand made. I used iron on transfers to make the outfits for my boys; I used felt and a black sweats outfit to make The Cat In The Hat; I used iron on transfers to make the canvas goodie bags; I found a jpeg image of a Dr. Seuss "Thank You" and made my own candy favor bags; I drew the 'Pin The Hat On The Cat' (with help from a projector and transparencies!)...you get the idea. </div>
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The food included: Green Eggs & Ham (Sandwiches), Roast Beast (Sandwiches), A bowl of goldfish crackers, baklava, tiramisu, cake balls...anything that sounded wacky or could be given a wacky nickname: it was there!</div>
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For drinks we had "Beezlenut Splash" (Tea), Pink Yink Ink Drink (Pink Lemonade), and little juice containers aptly named Seuss Juice.</div>
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Activities included print out color sheets, oobleck, pin the hat on the cat, and a reading corner (I was able to score some awesome deals on Seuss themed back to school items). I also had my two "Things" form two relay teams. They each ran around the room making a mess and their teammates had to chase after them, cleaning up. Once all of the excitement died down, my husband headed to the bathroom to prepare himself. I tell you, we are so lucky that he is so willing to go all out for his children! We even reused his "costume" for Dr. Seuss week at school and he went around to all the classes and read books.</div>
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<br /></div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-16377179666369633192012-01-31T20:22:00.003-06:002012-01-31T20:22:54.913-06:00Cheesecake IcingIf you've ever tried one of my cheesecake cupcakes, you'll know how great this stuff tastes. If you haven't, you don't know what you're missing! This icing tastes exactly like cheesecake...thick, creamy, and delicious! No more beating around the bush; lets get straight to the point! I know...it's cruel posting the picture of the entire cupcake but it's the only picture I have of the icing. BUT...stayed tune next Saturday (02/11/12) for the recipe for this delicious Blueberry Cheesecake cupcake. Though I bet you could piece together a recipe yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkqkTHQuLtng3YrwxF8UhIrKvlp779em9byYvnFIH989CIDWUtwzULw-pUd5D9UGKIkWGuNGrfghJzv9oTUgW3UxTFgNaxWwos5Xbw43dI-U4Cczqo78qC8wV7LAWi-15ErTnx-7x-rE/s1600/306735_10150305741995513_612335512_7882161_1696987_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkqkTHQuLtng3YrwxF8UhIrKvlp779em9byYvnFIH989CIDWUtwzULw-pUd5D9UGKIkWGuNGrfghJzv9oTUgW3UxTFgNaxWwos5Xbw43dI-U4Cczqo78qC8wV7LAWi-15ErTnx-7x-rE/s640/306735_10150305741995513_612335512_7882161_1696987_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Ingredients</h3>
<ul style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;" tabindex="-1">
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1/2 cup butter, softened</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
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Directions</h3>
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<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">*This is a recipe from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/">allrecipes.com</a></span></span></div>
</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-48747564557436700912012-01-31T14:45:00.000-06:002012-01-31T14:58:49.041-06:00Chocolate ButtercreamWhenever I have a cupcake or cake topped with chocolate icing, this is my go to recipe. I absolutely love it and so far, so does everybody else. My sister has said it taste almost like fudge. I'm sharing this because I will be posting my Chocolate Passion cupcake recipe this weekend and this chocolate buttercream recipe is a must have.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM1wNXr35fc4pTqt2LF9CVKbHTwVEwmxI56Lc2HgnLSuDNDnWupHYRvUOeidD6wWIF3A_YDpMuO-HjHN56kdyjLOXo1UaPuN8NJFL9QP86wC-FUgy6r1GsodsCcY4B6HD3TCwqZGk2gM/s1600/chocolate+buttercream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM1wNXr35fc4pTqt2LF9CVKbHTwVEwmxI56Lc2HgnLSuDNDnWupHYRvUOeidD6wWIF3A_YDpMuO-HjHN56kdyjLOXo1UaPuN8NJFL9QP86wC-FUgy6r1GsodsCcY4B6HD3TCwqZGk2gM/s1600/chocolate+buttercream.jpg" /></a></div>
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Chocolate Buttercream<span style="font-size: x-small;">:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 cups confectioners' sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">2 tsp. vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">1/4 tsp. salt</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Have all the ingredients at room temperature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If the frosting is dry add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.</span></div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-35690793246193156412012-01-31T03:12:00.000-06:002012-01-31T14:59:05.473-06:00Cash Budget Envelope SystemI'm sure most of you have heard of using the cash budget system. It's been made popular by Dave Ramsey but honestly, it's little more than common sense. When we have cash on hand, we're more reluctant to get rid of it...or at least I am. And that's the main idea behind the cash budget system. You don't use debit cards, credit cards or checks. You use strictly cash.<br />
This method is great for a multitude of reasons: you're less willing to hand over a $20 bill for some $5 frivolous item than you are to slide a debit or credit card; you can visually see where your money is going and realize more quickly when you're about to go over-budget...in fact, you can't really go over-budget with this method; you keep better track of where you use your cash than you do where you use your debit card; and if you're anything like me, I detest using $1 bills (such a pain!) so they just pile up which can add up to big 'savings'.<br />
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The idea is to withdrawal your paychecks from your bank account (I'm assuming most of us have direct deposit nowadays) and divvy up your cash accordingly with your budget expenses. For example, my husband gets paid every other week. So we use two envelopes for groceries: week 1 and week 2 (I've seen people use 4 but it seemed pointless to have the two extra envelopes when we are only budgeting between paychecks); an envelope for family activities; and envelope for tithes and offerings; a 'spoil me' envelope; two envelopes for gas (my vehicle and my husband's); and an envelope for savings. We schedule most of our bills to automatically deduct from our checking account on payday or the day after payday. We calculate what is leftover from each paycheck (fairly easy to do because my husband is on salary so his paychecks are exactly the same every week). To make it easier to figure out, we take half of our monthly budget for each bill expense and pay it out of each paycheck. For example, our electric bill averages $182/month. No, I'm not that OCD about it, I asked the electric company and they told me. However, I am OCD about paying even amounts so we budgeted $200/month for electric. Every two weeks, we pay $100. This works out fairly well because our utility bills, excluding electric are roughly the same amount each month. With electric, we have less expensive months and more expensive months but because we pay the flat $200/month, it evens out.<br />
So why am I telling you all of this? Certainly not because I want to be your budget accountant. As much as I love crunching numbers, I would rather not get too involved with YOUR finances. But, while browsing through <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">pinterest</a> last week, my sister found the idea to make your own cash budget envelopes from <a href="http://kelleighratzlaff.com/featured/free-envelope-template-and-a-tutorial/" target="_blank">Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs</a>. You see, you don't have to use plain Jane boring envelopes. You can make your own (it's super simple) and budget in style. Kelleigh was nice enough to put them in her Etsy store for those that are interested, or she has a template on her website to make your own. Unfortunately for my sister, she is not as crafty as me (Sorry Alisha, it's true!) plus she is a paramedic and works crazy long shifts. While I was putting together my sister's envelopes I thought I'd take some pictures of the process in case someone else was interested in giving it a try.<br />
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Cash Budget Envelopes</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj39DPIEy6PDfcXvx5Y4k92E_N3NrMWcrj-7-jO5n5-CTqldpIHQDQpqOhn06BoQ4_0nbSyMPNVyRHMJ_oncB0xBmj_xGQTzKele3cUoNrjDWRQdtQwMt_PlSTXY1C7Sp1mUa2G45BzMo/s1600/DSC08726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj39DPIEy6PDfcXvx5Y4k92E_N3NrMWcrj-7-jO5n5-CTqldpIHQDQpqOhn06BoQ4_0nbSyMPNVyRHMJ_oncB0xBmj_xGQTzKele3cUoNrjDWRQdtQwMt_PlSTXY1C7Sp1mUa2G45BzMo/s640/DSC08726.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This project was fairly easy to accomplish and budget friendly. I made one for my sister and one for me, each with 8 envelopes. You can pick and choose the categories that you want, just remember that this has to fit inside your wallet so you don't want too many. </div>
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Step 1: Make your template. I just used an envelope and pulled it apart. Then I traced around it onto cardstock and cut it out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUJzLgtWJG0krHhnffqNlJVlNTOv6Ke_MQkINDcg-YN-Y_4iZj8IpjzZxwGFEBuF_GRHVxikczNytHsDWM37iInZeX40KFtODPLfjiFE1pNv9M4_lF0C59Thfu82-ZQb25liUfj68rO0/s1600/DSC08711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUJzLgtWJG0krHhnffqNlJVlNTOv6Ke_MQkINDcg-YN-Y_4iZj8IpjzZxwGFEBuF_GRHVxikczNytHsDWM37iInZeX40KFtODPLfjiFE1pNv9M4_lF0C59Thfu82-ZQb25liUfj68rO0/s320/DSC08711.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 2: Cut your paper. I took my template and used clips to secure to a stack of 4-5 sheets of scrapbooking paper. This allowed me to make minimal cuts. The clips kept everything in place so the paper didn't shift as I was cutting.</div>
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Step 3: "Laminate" Unfortunately I don't have a laminating machine at my disposal. Okay...actually I do, but it only laminates with thick plastic. And you want to be able to fold the envelopes. The solution: Contact paper! (It's nearly impossible to see the contact paper in the pictures...sorry!) Just peal and stick the paper onto the contact paper. Then cut out again.</div>
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Step 4: Fold. The great thing about contact paper...it's easy to fold. That was the only step I was worried about but it worked out great. And it made the envelopes very durable. Let's face it, if your envelopes are ripping and tearing and need to be replaced every 2 weeks, it's not very budget friendly.</div>
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I folded the two short tabs in and then used double sided tape to fold the bottom half up. Note: I put the tape on the bottom half. That's because the two tabs are going to be longer than the bottom half. You don't want to have the tape exposed and it was easier this way to prevent that.</div>
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Once I had all of the envelopes created, I grabbed some of my random alphabet scrapbooking stickers and labeled my envelopes.</div>
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Step 5: Bind. I used a hole punch and punched 5 holes across the bottom of each envelope. (I used a template and placed it on top of each envelope to make sure the holes were evenly spaced.) To bind, I just used zip ties. I also attached the template to my envelopes. This gives me something to tuck into my wallet.</div>
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Cost break down:</div>
Scrapbook paper (price varies) I purchased a $5 pack of 50 from Walmart...double bonus, all of my envelopes correspond. Total cost per envelope: $0.10<br />
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Contact Paper: $5.24 for 24' x 18". You could laminate up to 64 envelopes if needed. But if your budget requires 64 envelopes, you might want to reconsider how you work your budget! Total cost per envelope $0.08.</div>
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Zip ties: $1 for a pack of 100. Total cost for the project $0.05.</div>
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And I just used leftover scrapbooking supplies to make my labels but you could just use a sharpie marker.</div>
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Total cost for an 8 envelope budget: roughly $1.50</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-11834028355232297662012-01-29T17:54:00.002-06:002012-01-29T17:54:43.661-06:00Cakes of the week!The winter is usually a little slow for me but now that spring is just around the corner, I'm starting to get in quite a few cake orders. Now that I'll have new cakes to do, I'd like to take the opportunity to share them with you. At the end of each week, I'll post that weeks cakes. This week it will only be one cake. <br />
<a name='more'></a>And next week it will also only be one cake. I do have quite a few orders but they are mostly cupcakes right now. But on February 12th, there will be 4 cakes! Note: I said ON February 12th; not for the week of February 12th. That's right, 4 cakes to be delivered on one day. And because I don't like to pre-bake my cakes, it will be B.U.S.Y. in my house that Thursday and Friday with baking and Friday and Saturday with decorating.<br />
For now, I'll leave you with this week's cake: Tinkerbell<br />
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It is 100% edible...well except for the candle. What do you think?Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-63803257435367770422012-01-29T14:29:00.003-06:002012-02-13T12:44:37.436-06:00Sweet Saturdays ~ Samoa cupcakesYes, I realize that today is Sunday but yesterday was pretty busy for us and for some reason, I was unusually tired. I think I took a nap at about 5:30pm and woke up at 8am. Now THAT is tired. Luckily, I have an awesome husband that let me do it!<br />
I recently got a nice order for cupcakes for next week. It's only a total of 2 dozen cupcakes but the customer ordered 6 different flavors. Yes, its more work for me but I've really been wanting to start posting some of my recipes plus take some better pictures. Unfortunately, the order isn't until next week and I am not a baker who bakes that far in advance. Then I remembered, I have a few nice photos of some of my cupcakes. <br />
<a name='more'></a>Not many because the lighting in my house stinks which usually means I take my cupcakes to my front porch to photograph. But my memory really isn't the greatest so I usually forget to do that before I get rid of all of the cupcakes.<br />
This seemed like the perfect recipe to share with everybody today. I've had 3 separate girl scouts ask me to buy cookies and this is one of my favorite flavors. I've seen recipes for homemade samoa cookies (or Caramel De-Lites, as they are now called), but they are labor intensive. I've made my own thin mints and my own do-si-dos and they were fairly easy. Maybe I can track down those recipes and share them in the future. But the samoas, with their chocolate covered bottom, caramel topping, sprinkled with toasted coconut and then drizzled with fudge...they are a little daunting to say the least. So for now, between April and February when I am craving a samoa, I'll settle for one of these delicious cupcakes.<br />
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Doesn't that look yummy? I'm not even a big fan of coconut but I love these. The secret to making them? It's all in the topping.<br />
Use your favorite cake base. I usually use a vanilla cake but I've also, in a pinch, used the Duncan Hines Caramel Cake box mix. I top it with a dallop of buttercream (you can add caramel to the buttercream to create a caramel buttercream). Then roll it in toasted coconut and drizzle it with caramel sauce and hot fudge sauce.<br />
Now, if you're looking for a great made-from-scratch vanilla cake recipe, check out <a href="http://annies-eats.com/2010/01/05/vanilla-bean-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a> (recipe also listed below). Everything I've tried from her site has been delicious. I also use her recipe for <a href="http://annies-eats.com/2011/07/25/vanilla-bean-caramel-sauce/" target="_blank">caramel sauce</a> for those of you feeling ambitious.<br />
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Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (courtesy <a href="http://annies-eats.com/" target="_blank">Annie's Eats</a>)<br />
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<em>Ingredients</em><em>:</em></div>
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<i><br /></i>3 cups cake flour<br />
1 tbsp. baking powder<br />
½ tsp. salt<br />
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise<br />
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
5 large eggs, at room temperature<br />
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature<br />
1 tbsp. vanilla extract</div>
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<em>Directions:</em></div>
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<i><br /></i>Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.</div>
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.</div>
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Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.</div>
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Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.</div>
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Yield: approximately 30 cupcakes</div>Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5638581307903565250.post-18819266698724129312012-01-22T13:18:00.000-06:002012-01-22T13:21:29.068-06:00Sweet Gifts: Towel CakesWe've all seen or heard of diaper cakes, right? Well, have you ever heard of a towel cake? They aren't really that uncommon but definitely not as popular as diaper cakes. I've made my fair share of towel cakes; probably more than I've made diaper cakes. But that's just because I think they're a great, unusual gift to give. What occasion would you gift a towel cake? Really for anything but one of my most favorites is for bridal showers. The concept is the same as with a diaper cake: you make the basic cake frame and then load it up with goodies.<br />
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The first towel cake I made, I used a bottle of the bride's favorite wine to stabilize the center. I rolled the three towel tiers around it so it was hidden. Yes, this takes a little bit of practice to get just right but I think I only spent two hours max on my first cake (and I'm a perfectionist so I redid it over and over until I got it just perfect). In all honesty, I could have had it done in 30 minutes if I wasn't picky about it looking perfect. For the towels, I used some super soft and fluffy towels that I got from Macy's. Obviously you can use any type of towel but be warned: If you use the cheap towels from Wal-Mart, it won't be as fluffy and full looking (unless you add more towels).<br />
After I had the cake frame done, I used some pretty ribbon that matched the bride's wedding colors and tied two small wine glass to the middle tier and then placed silk flowers around it. It looked great, if I do say so myself. So great in fact...that I forgot to take a picture of it.<br />
However, I do have a few pictures of some other towel cakes. One of a bridal shower cake. However this time, the bride wasn't an alcohol drinker. So I just splurged on some really nice towels and added silk flowers. Aside from bridal showers though, you can use towel cakes for birthday gifts (decorated accordingly), housewarming gifts (filled with kitchen items), baby shower gifts (filled with spa items for the new mom).<br />
Next time I make one, I'll be sure to take step by step pictures to show how it's done. In the meantime, if you want to make one, just google "how to make a towel cake" for instructions.<br />
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<br />Mandihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05094062071927060644noreply@blogger.com0