Dr. Seuss themed birthday party

I made a Dr. Seuss hat cake to top a cupcake stand that featured chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

Wedding Cupcakes

I had the pleasure of making over 150 cupcakes and 3 fondant covered cakes for a previous co-worker and friend. It was alot of fun, but very stressful! The cupcake stands were built by my husband and they are awesome!

Happy Birthday Cupcakes

A last-minute order for cupcakes.

Sunflower Cupcakes

Cupcakes inspired by the Hello, Cupcake! book. They were SO much fun to make and were a huge hit at the neighborhood party!

Vanilla Stuffed Strawberry Cupcakes

I love strawberries, so I am always looking for ways to incorporate them in desserts. I got the April edition os Southern Living in the mail and strawberries were on the front cover! I flipped to the section that featured them and found the decadent recipe! As my husband says, lets eat twice the amount of dinner so we can have twice the amount of cupcakes. (This came after telling my toddler that he had to eat his dinner before he could have a cupcake!) These cupcakes are seriously delicious! Don't try and skip the custard and use an instant pudding, it wouldn't be the same! Don't have Vanilla Bean Paste? You should get some, it is delicious and it leaves little tiny specks of vanilla beans through out your dessert. Add these to the top of your desserts to try list and you will not regret it!

Vanilla-Stuffed Strawberry Cupcakes

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Ingredients

• Vanilla Bean Custard (Recipe Follows)
• 24 paper baking cups
• 1 (16-oz.) package angel food cake mix
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste*
• 3 cups halved fresh strawberries
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Prepare Vanilla Bean Custard.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. Place baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans. (Do not grease.) Prepare angel food cake batter according to package directions using a paddle attachment. Stir in vanilla bean paste. Spoon batter into baking cups, filling completely full.

3. Bake at 325° on middle oven rack 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.

4. Gently run a knife around edges of cupcakes to loosen. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 20 minutes).

5. Scoop out centers of cupcakes, leaving a 1/2-inch border on bottom and sides.

Spoon or pipe Vanilla Bean Custard into centers of cupcakes.

Top with strawberries. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.

*2 tsp. vanilla extract may be substituted, but I would not suggest it!

Vanilla Bean Custard

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste*

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a heavy 3-qt. saucepan. Cook over medium-heat, whisking constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla bean paste. Cover and chill 3 hours.

*2 tsp. vanilla extract may be substituted.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Only a day late I know! I made these delicious Guinness and Bailey's cupcakes to celebrate the day with friends! The recipe follows and you should try them because they are fantastic! I halved the cupcake part, but made full batches of the ganache and buttercream. I probably could have halved the ganache as well, but I didn't have enough buttercream to even frost the 12 cupcakes I made.

Guinness and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes
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Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
1 cup stout (Guinness)
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream frosting:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-8 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey’s and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a filling tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey’s until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

adapted from Annie's Eats

Holiday Cupcakes

Looking for a great treat to take to your office party, child's holiday party, or even for Santa....look no farther!

A few flavor combinations you can choose from are:

Chocolate cupcake with Peppermint frosting

Vanilla cupcake with Eggnog frosting

Red Velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting

All cupcakes can be filled with your favorite filling.

What about a fondant cupcake topper? Here is an example of a Santa hat, more to come!