Bake Sale Cupcakes

At our IHSA horse show this past weekend, we had a bake sale to try and recoup some of the losses we were going to incur putting on the show. A ton of girls chipped in and we made around $60.

I personally made red velvet and carrot cake cupcakes. Since it was also my birthday, I took some short cuts since I had a bazillion things going on - riding 3 horses, getting into the city for dinner with the girls, etc.

Red Velvet - I used a yellow box cake and added a teaspoon of cocoa and red food coloring.

Carrot Cake - I used a box spice cake and added 3/4 cup of shaved carrot.

Icing:

I have the hardest time finding good cream cheese icing recipies that aren't either too buttery or too runny. This one was pretty good.

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

I decorated the red velvet with a little red sugar and made little carrots on the others.

NYC Cupcake Review - Cupcake Crew

Cupcake Crew is a cupcake truck that sometimes parks outside my current client's office. This is not good for my thighs as I can't really resist cupcakes. Right around Christmas I gave in and bought a red velvet cupcake. It came with a cute (however plastic) holly on top. I thought the decoration was nice, and the cupcake had a perfect amount of icing. I thought the icing had a nice balance of cream cheese and sweet and the cake was cooked nicely as well. Also the cupcake came in this cute single cupcake carrier so it wouldn't get smooshed on the way back to my desk. To top it all off, they gave me a card for a free mini cupcake if I return...score! (um not for the thighs though).

If you ever see this black and pink truck around, don't hesistate to stop!

Formal Christmas Strawberries

I'm baaaaack. I took some time off baking and blogging while I explored Chile, Peru and Brazil during Oct & Nov. Arriving back December 2nd and not having completed any Christmas shopping was quite fun.

My niece is obsessed with strawberries. In a perfect world, she'd skip dinner and go straight to the strawberries, chocolate covered or not! Just for her, I made these cute tuxedo'd strawberries to brighten Christmas morning.

I washed strawberries and dipped them completely in white chocolate. After about an hour or two in the fridge, I dipped the sides in dark chocolate. Another hour or two in the fridge and I piped on the buttons and bow ties. These were surprisingly easy.

I also made chocolate covered pineapple. This was more difficult since pineapple is so wet. I toweled dried and then dipped in dark chocolate. They came out ugly but were a clear crowd favorite. Then again, anything submersed in chocolate generally tastes amazing.

Happy Birthday Pumpkins

It was two of my friends birthday this week and i've been craving pumpkin cupcakes. I saw a great comparison of recipies on the way the cookie crumbles blog. I followed their recommendation and made the David Leite (via Smitten Kitchen) recipe. No box cake this time! Go me!

They came out great and were a huge hit at the party last night. I decorated them with cream cheese icing making them look like they had little pumpkins on top.
I always love how 52 Cupcakes showcases her baked goods with her adorable pup, so Port got a cupcake too!

Vote for Me!

I entered a contest for a Palm Plates review, see in older posts. They were great.

Now you can vote for me to win 25 free plates because you liked my review.


Please vote here: Marx Foods

What makes a rainy Sunday better?

Homemade chocolate chip cookies of course! Football doesn't hurt either. Go Eagles!

I use the Tollhouse recipe minus 1/2 stick of butter (I think it makes them fluffier - and healthier).

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I use 1.5 sticks)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate Chips

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Another - On the road review

I heard about a cupcake truck in Albany at the very begining of the summer. I FINALLY got to go last week and it was worth the wait. The woman who runs the truck posts on facebook and twitter where she'll be and forecasts how long and what flavors she has on the truck. We tracked her down at a mall outside of Albany with PB cup, PB and Jelly, Lemon Raz, Shirley temple, Strawberry Supreme (strawberry cupcake and vanilla BC) and Orange cream. She must bake all day and night! The cupcakes are $2-$2.50 and they are soooo good. We had the (clockwise from the cherry) Shirley Temple, mocha, PB&J and PB Cup.

My favorite was the PB&J ~ to die for! Shirley temple was creative and delish, mocha was tasty and PB Cup was good but tasted closer to a mocha than a PB Cup.

Seriously how cute is this truck?

Good thing for my thighs I'm not in Albany too much anymore. Hee Hee. If you find yourself in Albany or close by - check out Fluffalicious!

Crowd Pleasers

We hosted a BBQ with two other couples on Sunday, and in typical fashion, we made way too much food. I, of course, was in charge of dessert. I wanted to make something light and "healthy." I decided on a white chocolate mouse parfaits. I remember having this 'to die for' white chocolate mousse from a restaurant in my home town and called them up to see if they'd give the me the recipe, and to my surprise the chef got on the phone and walked me through it. So nice of them. I won't betray their trust and give out the details but it was a combination of white chocolate, egg whites, sugar and heavy cream. So easy!

I layered the mousse with marble pound cake, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries in pretty Stella glasses. Voila!

White Chocolate Curls of Bliss!

At a recent wedding, I noticed the absense of a cake, because well....I'm obsessed with wedding cakes. However, shortly after the meal they plopped this gorgeous massive cupcake in front of me. It fit the brides style and was oh so chic. It tasted amazing too. It was a vanilla cupcake with a vanilla buttercream with white chocolate shavings on top.

As usual I had no problem devouring it either! The adorable couple took turns feeding each other cupcakes but they were gentle and sweet. My personal preference, I'm not a cake smashing kind of gal.

No trees were harmed in the forming of this blog post…

What is one of the greatest perks of blogging? Trying amazing samples! I received a generous sample of Palm Plates from Marx Foods and need to share how great they are. The plates are made from freshly fallen (never picked!) leaves that fall from Adaka palm trees. They are then washed, dried and heated into their chic shapes. Then they are used by stylish entertainers like you and me. I’d like to focus on three aspects of these plate: style, durability and price.

Style – What’s more stylish than a homemade blueberry cupcake with gooey white chocolate cream cheese frosting sitting pretty atop rectangular palm plate? I dare you to think of something! These plates inspired me to bake from scratch (if you read my blog you know I’m more semi-homemade) and here are the results and recipies:

Portobello ~ Can I please eat my cupcake, Oh please let me eat my cupcake...
BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES ~ from cooks.com

1/3 c. butter
2/3 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. milk
1 c. blueberries

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Gently fold in berries.
Can be frozen. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Yield: 10 cupcakes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE ICING ~ from fabulousfoods.com

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
6 ounces good quality white chocolate (Lindt is Cheri's favorite brand)
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir white chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water until just melted. Cool to lukewarm. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. beat in cooled, melted white chocolate and vanilla, gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until smooth. Frosting should be light and spreadable. It is helpful to chill a bit before piping.

Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 Cups (I cut this recipe into three to icing the 10 cupcakes from the recipe above.)
Durability: What sets this plate above and beyond a paper plate? Besides the obvious environmental benefits, this plate can hang homey! Now, I’m a baker – plain and simple, but you can’t test the durability of the plates with cupcakes alone! There is only recipe I make that my husband actually enjoys. It’s a hearty pasta dish from Rachael Ray that I modified to put a lighter (healthier) summer twist. I piled the plate high and went to town. Clearing my plate, I felt like I could have washed it and reused it, it held up so well. Kudos palm plate…kudos.

CREAMY PASTA WITH SPINACH AND FRIED CAPERS ~ Rachael’s original recipe here
Salt
1 pound gemelli
3 tbsp cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 large clove garlic, smashed
2 packed cups spinach, stemmed and chopped
1 ear fresh yellow corn, boiled and kernels cut off the cob
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving the pot.

While the pasta is working, in a medium skillet, heat the EVOO, 8 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the capers and fry until they open, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 minute.

In the pasta pot, whisk the ricotta and milk over low heat until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the basil, and a dash of pepper. Add the pasta and toss to coat.

Discard some of the garlic and stir the spinach, capers and corn into the pasta.

Price: I wish wish wish these plates were more affordable. Generic paper plates are about $7 for a pack of 20 at a party supply store, the palm plates average about $33 for a pack of 25. I'm not sure I would order and use these for your run of the mill backyard BBQ but if I was throwing an annual family get together and shelling out $600 for a pig and knew I'd have tons of heavy slaws and salads, then what is and additional $50 for some Aunt Sally pleasing, earth friendly, durable, discussion starter palm plates? Who knows, maybe their like flat screen tv's - they're new and jet setting, so they're expensive. When they catch on and everyone wants one on their wall to impress the neighbors, supply and demand will win over and the price will drop.

All in all, I think these plates have a definite place in society amongst the green crowd, the chic and stylish crowd and the eh whats another $50 crowd. I would definitely recommend these palm plates to give a high style flair to your next cocktail, garden, or anything else party.

Birthday Blunder

My husband's birthday was Saturday. Since we had a wedding, I decided to surprise him with Bon Jovi tickets for Friday night. I wanted to make something for the tailgate, but nothing too elaborate that you couldn't eat with your hands.

Not to mention I had to work a full day so it had to be quick and easy over my lunch hour. I *settled* on a quick box of brownies. I decorated them with chocolate chips and sprinkes to make them a little bit more appealing.

I baked them according to the directions and still burnt them. Ugh, boxed mixed disaster! I guess that will teach me to bake from scratch! If anyone has a favorite brownie recipe - I would appreciate!

Star Sighting (literally) - Ringo Star

I work in Midtown Manhattan, and walking out for lunch today I ran into the 70th birthday celebration for Ringo Star. I threw myself in with the poppa - rozzi and waved to Ringo on his way into the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. They also were throwing out peace and love cookies. I'm currently sitting at my desk enjoying a big red heart shaped cookie.

Thanks for the treat Ringo - Happy 70th Birthday!

Craving Review - Mr. Cupcake

I've been dying to try Mr. Cupcake in Clifton, NJ for a while and this past weekend, a cupcake craving hit hard. You can see my full review at Yelp.com

I think Mr. Cupcake does smart advertising. I got a coupon in the mail for two free cupcakes, no strings attached. It was enough to push my craving over the edge, and just so I didn't look cheap -I paid for two additional.

Overall I gave them four stars. I found their cupcakes to be slightly undercooked - but not necessarily in a bad way. Some people make them dense, others make them fluffy. I would say these definitely lean towards dense. I missed the cupcake wars show on 6/27 but plan to try and catch the re-run on DVR.

From Top Left - PB&J, Carrot Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, French Toast.

An excuse to celebrate...

A dear friend switched apartments in NYC and had us all over for a housewarming. The evite said there would be cake, to which I interpretted that I should bake her a cake.

I used graham crackers and royal icing to make the house perched on top of the cake. Surprisingly easier than expected. The cake consisted of yellow cake with Martha Stewart's chocolate icing. This IS my new favorite icing recipe (see below). It was a Dark Chocolate frosting, and tasted like a chocolate candy bar on cake. Thanks Martha. Delish!

I then garnished with a white chocolate fence (which could have been easier if i'd just piped on the fence, but my initial idea was to have it stand out from the bottom of the cake, but it didn't materialize), a chocolate chip driveway and some green icing shrubs. To make the fence I outlined it in pencil on wax paper, flipped it over and used a new kids paintbrush dipped in melted white chocolate to paint within my outlines. I rested it on the cake mold (to get the right bend of the cake) in the fridge for a couple of hours.

My friend was thrilled and it tasted great - and well - thats all that counts.

Martha Stewart's Dark Chocolate Frosting
1 pound semi sweet chocolate (I used to chips so I didn't have to chop)
6 tbsp Cocoa Powder
6 tbsp Boiling Water
3 sticks butter
1/2 conf sugar
Pinch of Salt (I used salted butter so I skipped this)

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, stir until chocolate is completely melted (about 15 mins). Let chocolate cool to room temperature (take off the stove). Combine Cocoa powder and boiling water.

In electric mixer beat butter, conf sugar, and salt until light and fluffy (3-4 mins). Add melted chocolate, beat on low (1-2 mins). Beat in cocoa mixture. Serve!

Summer Pies

I love fresh summer pies. I come from right near the Blueberry capital of the world, Hammonton, NJ. This year, my mom and I went and bought 20 pounds of blueberries. It will get us about 5 pies each. As a family we sorted through all 20 pounds of them and picked off stems and weeded out bad blueberries and put 4 cups each in a bag. We then place them in the freezer for instant gratification when the urge for a pie comes along. If you're going to do this - do not wash the blueberries before putting them in the freezer, wait until you take them out to thaw.

Fresh pies are well....easy as pie. Sometimes I make my own pie crust (I have an amazing recipe too) and sometimes I buy it. So kill me, I'm lazy.

Fresh Summer Blueberry Pie -

1 Box Pillsbury Pie Dough or Homemade Pie Crust

4 cups blueberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup tapioca

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp butter

Combine blueberries, tapioca, lemon juice and cinnamon in a bowl, let stand for 10 minutes. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Add blueberry mixture. Dot butter on top of blueberry mixture. Top with remaining crust, crimp edges and cut vents. I recommend covering the crust edges with foil for all but 5 minutes of baking time to prevent burning. Bake on 450' for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy!

Tip - Place the pie on a cookie sheet in case your filling over flows.

Pic of Portobello staring down the pie and licking his chops. Crazy pup, pie is for people!