Duck Cupcakes

Occasion
One of Nate's co-workers had previously requested these ducks, which grace the cover of What's New, Cupcake?, and so they were made for her birthday.

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake
Frosting: Buttercream to hold the donut holes, marshmallows, and eyes on. Duncan Hines Homestyle Vanilla was tinted, melted and used for the shiny dipping.
Accessories: Starbursts for the beaks and feet, mini-M&M's for the eyes, marshmallows for the tails (large for the regular cupcakes, minis for the mini cupcakes), and donut holes for the heads.

Changes for Next Time

• Coming soon!
  

Spaghetti & Meatballs

The Occasion
Nothing special... I wanted to make cupcakes and I received Hello Cupcake for Christmas so I flipped through it for ideas. This was the only food-related cupcake design that I had all the ingredients for without needing a run to the store. I modified the recipe a bit- homemade raspberry tart instead of strawberry jam and brownie meatballs instead of chocolate candy.

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake
Frosting: Buttercream
Spaghetti Sauce: Raspberry Tart - the raspberry texture looked like chunky marina sauce.
Meatballs: Brownies, slightly undercooked and rolled into a ball.
Cheese (on top): Bakers white chocolate, shaved

Changes for next time

• Make enough meatballs for each cupcake- they were delicious and added a lot to the look.
• The frosting would do well to be refrigerated overnight so that it is thicker. The noodles didn't turn out well when the frosting was getting warm.
• Refrigerate the cupcakes after adding one layer of noodles helped the frosting to retain it's 'noodle' shape and not melt together. Props to Nate for this idea... unfortunately I had already finished most of this batch by the time we tried it!
  

Raspberry Filling

A favorite filling recipe and one that has been used enough, I figure it has earned its own post. Recipe makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (16 ounces) frozen raspberries packed in sugar thawed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

Drain raspberries, reserving liquid. Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups. In large saucepan, combine liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well. Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely. Stir thawed raspberries into cooled mixture.

Original recipe from Wilton.com

White Almond Wedding Cake

Definitely my favorite cake recipe of any flavor! Original recipe is for an 11x13 flat cake. It makes about 28 regular-sized cupcakes. Cupcake baking time is about 17-18 minutes for two pans.

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour an 11x13 inch cake pan.
2. Stir together the white cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Pour in the water, sour cream, vegetable oil, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg whites, and beat with an electric mix on low until all the ingredients are mixed and moistened but some lumps still remain, 4 minutes.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake in the preheated oven until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting.

Original recipe from AllRecipes.com

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

The Occasion
No occasion is necessary for something as delicious as this.

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
• 3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 10 oz bag mini chocolate chips
  
• 1 bag Oreo Cookies
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough. Bake cookies 9-13 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Makes about 2 dozen very large cookies!

Changes for Next Time

• Use only enough cookie dough to surround the Oreos so that the cookies stay more 'together' instead of flattening around the edges.

Source: www.picky-plate.com , courtesy of Shaw Leach.

Objective

To take note of baking projects that go well, go poorly, or have yet to go anywhere.

Requirements for each post:

1. Picture
2. Recipe
3. Improvements/Things to Change for next time
   

Football Truffle Cupcakes

Occasion
Superbowl 2011, the Packers vs. Steelers! The Leaches and Piscitellos came over so of course cupcakes were required. Credit to Pam Widell for the idea of making truffle footballs for on top, she mentioned the idea that morning and I couldn't stop thinking about them.

Cupcakes: White Almond Wedding Cake
Frosting: Buttercream
Footballs: Unfortunately I don't remember the exact measurements (it was a Nila Kay original) but it involved cream cheese and ground up Oreos, combined until it was the right consistency to be rolled into balls.

Changes for Next Time

• Use a recipe to determine measurements for the oreo truffles. It looks like it should be 2-1 Oreos to Cream cheese. This would reduce a lot of the time and frustration spent adding more and more Oreos. Pam recommended the one she used from Bakerella.
  
• Chill the truffle mix prior to dipping so that it holds it's shape better.