Update+Pictures

Hello all! So sorry about being MIA again...this year has been very crazy and difficult thus far. I haven't been able to bake that much this year,  but I have done 2 weddings this year, so I'm here to post pictures!
Here's an update: On February 9th, my mother in law passed away from complications after having a stroke. My husband and I have our good and bad days from the loss, but we know for a surety that she is at peace and in a much better place. Also, my plan to create angel food cupcake varieties has been indefinitely put on hold, due to chronic back pain I've been having for a year now. It's been very hard, to say the least...this year has been less than ideal, to put it lightly. But the times that I've been able to bake have been a great therapy for me.
Okay, okay, sorry about the depressing talk. Ugh. This is a happy blog! So, onto pictures! :)

I made Milky Way Midnight cupcakes for one of my best friend's bridal shower, in late January. Then for her wedding on February 7th, I made basic Vanilla mini cupcakes. The buttercreams were flavored and colored to fit their colors: light teal was bubble gum, and peachy-coral was cotton candy. Obviously the colors were much lighter than the actual scheme asked for, but it turned out all right in the end.

Simple display, but oh so cute!

Another friend of mine asked me to do cupcakes for his open house on March 22nd. They wanted a whopping 4 flavors (something I haven't been used to doing), but it was a lot of fun to do each one. Because of the amount of cupcakes ordered, I had to use box cake mixes, but I modified the additive ingredients so that they would taste better than, you know, what ordinary cake mixes taste like. (You all know what I mean, right?!)

Flavor #1: Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting.

Flavor #2: Devils Food Chocolate, with a peanut butter filling and Nutella buttercream.

Flavor #3: Chocolate Chip with strawberry buttercream.

Flavor #4: Peach Cobbler with cinnamon whipped frosting.

I have to admit: out of the 4 flavors that I had access to taste, I only ate the chocolate chip strawberry one. I had 2! And I was not ashamed. :)

I'll tell you one thing about the kitchen ladies at these receptions: they sure know how to display cupcakes adorably! ;)

These cupcakes weren't for a wedding, but were partly for an LDS fireside that my parents were in charge of, and partly for my brother in law's birthday. They're Chocolate Oreo Dirt cupcakes with a whipped cream cheese frosting. Oh man, that frosting was the BOMB! It was purely an experiment that actually went right, for once. It wasn't too rich, and not too sweet: it was just right. I shall provide the recipe for it below. :)

CHEATERS WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup Cool Whip
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups powder sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and Cool Whip, for about 1 minute. Add vanilla extract, and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add powder sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, on low speed, increasing speed for about 10 seconds, in between powder sugar increments. Beat until fully combined.

So there you have it. I know this has been a long post, but I appreciate all of y'all's support. I hope to post again very soon! :)

xo

Winter Wonderland Cupcakes & a Project

WOW. So sorry about being a definite slacker!!! The last 2 months have been really busy (I'm sure you all understand, right??), so I've FINALLY found some time to sit & update. So here we go!

 

I made these beauties on my 24th birthday in December. As you may already know, angel food is my all-time favorite type of cake. It's so light & fluffy & absent of butter & oil; & the best part, I don't feel guilty if I eat more than 10 of these babies. So in lieu of this, I've decided that for the next few months, I will be creating variants of angel food cupcakes. Chocolate, orange, cookie dough-stuffed, cookies & cream, tiramisu, red velvet...I just want to try it all! I will, of course, document the results & recipes on here, so keep an eye out.

As for these Winter Wonderland cupcakes, they're so simple to make: angel food with peppermint chips inside. Let me tell you, I was a VERY happy birthday chick with these. And I know you will be, too. :)

WINTER WONDERLAND CUPCAKES

Angel Food Cupcakes:

•  6 egg whites
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powder sugar
• 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp. cake flour
• 1/3 Andes peppermint baking chips

Whipped Cream Topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Cool Whip
•  1 tsp. vanilla extract
• mini marshmallows, for topping (use hot cocoa-sized marshmallows; you can find a container of them in the coffee/cocoa aisle for really cheap)

 Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine cake flour and powder sugar. Sift together, or whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites for 1 minute on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar; increase setting to high speed and beat until mixture creates soft peaks. SLOWLY add in sugar, and continue to beat for 3 minutes, or until peaks become stiff. Turn off stand mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, GENTLY fold in flour mixture to egg whites and baking chips, in 3 increments. Be careful not to overmix. When mixture is completely incorporated, fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are puffed up and toothpick comes out clean. (You may not even have to bake them for this long, so keep an eye on them while they bake.) Cool completely.
Topping:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with whisk attachment, beat heavy whipping cream and Cool Whip on high speed, until stiff peaks form. While beating, add vanilla extract.
Fill a piping bag and swirl onto cupcakes. Add mini marshmallows for extra crunch and flavor, and enjoy!