Jodi's Cupcake Wedding Cake

I haven't done much with wedding cakes in the last couple of years, and it has been especially hard since adapting a Paleo Lifestyle.  But.....  I had a friend get married yesterday.  When I heard that she wanted a "cupcake" cake, I was totally on board.  I REALLY LIKE MAKING CUPCAKES!

I thought that the combination of Coral and Blue was stunning!

This turned out so Beautiful!  Better than I had envisioned, and even better in person.  Congrats to both Jodi and Kurtis on your big day!

Peach Streusel Cupcakes

PEACH STREUSEL CUPCAKES

The other night, the Young Women of our Ward put on a fundraiser dinner and dessert auction.  I have a daughter who is in Young Women's, so we had the privilege of making some desserts to be auctioned off.  We decided to make some sort of Peach cupcakes, and this is what we came up with.  It was scary just making something up and expecting it to work, but not only did these work.... they were AMAZING!  Upon requests from many people, here is our recipe:

Peach Streusel Cupcakes

1 Box Betty Crocker White Cake Mix

1 Large Can of Sliced Peaches(Chopped), with the syrup

2 Large Eggs

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Chop up your peaches until they are as fine as you would like them (I used my Pampered Chef food chopper).  Combine the peaches, along with their juices and syrup, with the dry cake mix, eggs, and cinnamon.  Mix well, and put in muffin tins (about 2/3 full).  

Before you bake them, make a streusel topping and spoon it over the cupcake batter.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup Flour

1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/2 stick butter

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a pastry blender or a fork.  When it is mixed well and crumbly, spoon it over the cupcakes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

4 teaspoons milk

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Peach Flavoring (Optional)

Stir all ingredients together until mixed well and smooth.  Drizzle over the cupcakes when they are still warm.

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My daughter also wanted to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Pastry to auction off the other night.  We made a couple pans, which we auctioned off with a quart of vanilla ice cream.  You can find the recipe to the Strawberry Rhubarb Pastry Here.

Everything that we took to the auction was a hit, and we had many requests for the recipes.  I hope you all enjoy them!

Oreo Cupcakes, Zucchini Cupcakes, and More Cupcakes....

This week I had the privilege of making some cupcakes 

(well, actually it was A LOT of cupcakes) for my nephew's wedding luncheon.

It all started at 8:00 in the morning with this CUTE couple...

(My nephew Ronnie and his beautiful new bride, Taylor)

They made a promise to Love each other for time and all Eternity in the 

Salt Lake LDS Temple.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and a wonderful time.

After the wedding they had a marvelous wedding luncheon.  This is where my cupcakes made their debut.  I made Oreo Cupcakes (which were to die for, by the way), Zucchini Cupcakes with a Caramel Frosting, Yellow Cupcakes topped with a Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting, and last but not least... I made White Cupcakes that were filled with a Raspberry filling and topped with a Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting.  

(There were so many wonderful people there to help set them up)

The cupcakes were all so good!  I do have to say that the Oreo Cupcakes were my favorite.  A lot of people at the luncheon would have to agree with me, but people LOVED all of them.

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I have had a lot of requests for the Oreo Cupcake recipe, so I will post it for you to enjoy.  I can't take all of the credit for them, because I got the recipe here .  This recipe was posted by someone by the name of FoodSnots, and the recipe was called "Death By Oreo Cupcakes".  After reading the MANY reviews, I had to give them a try.  And now you can too....

DEATH BY OREO CUPCAKES

Ingredients
1 package Oreo Cookies, regular size
1 package Mini Oreo Cookies, for decoration (optional)
1 package chocolate cake mix (mix according to directions on box)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix packaged cake mix according to directions (do not bake). Line cupcake tins with liner, place a regular size Oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner. Take 1/2 of remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to cake mix. Fill the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 minutes (or according to box directions). While cupcakes are baking make the frosting.

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, then add powdered sugar slowly until blended well. Chop remaining regular-sized Oreos very fine (I put the cookies in the food processor instead of trying to chop them up super fine and it worked out really well). Add to frosting. After cupcakes have cooled frost and decorate with Mini Oreos.

Congratulations to Ronnie and Taylor.  

It was fun being a part of your big day!!!

Pink Cupcakes...... A lot of Pink Cupcakes!

Today I made 6 dozen cupcakes. They were for a Young Women New Beginnings.  I thought they turned out great.  They were frosted with about 5 different shades of pink frosting.  And.....they were DELICIOUS, if I do say so myself!  I experimented with the frosting and made it using butter, heavy whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  I really think it was the best tasting frosting I have ever made.

Now on to my next project....  A Girl Scout Thin Mint cake.

By Request.....

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes!

I have received many emails and messages asking for the recipe to these delightful treats.  I made them using a chocolate cake mix,  but what makes them extra special is the candy cane filling and the Chocolate Peppermint frosting.  So, I hope you give them a try.  They really are DELICIOUS!

Candy Cane Filling

8 ounces Cream Cheese (at room temperature)

1/2 Cup Confectioner's Sugar

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream

4 ounces White Chocolate (Melted)

Crushed Candy Canes

In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add confectioner's sugar and blend well.  Add cream and white chocolate.  Beat until fluffy.  With a spatula, fold in 3-4 Tablespoons of crushed peppermint.

I used the Wilton Tip #230 to fill the cupcakes with.  Be sure to crush the candy canes pretty fine so that they will go through the tip easily.

Chocolate Peppermint Frosting 

1 Stick Butter

6 Tablespoons Milk

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

3 Cups Powdered Sugar (approximate)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 small drops of Peppermint Oil ( be careful, a little bit goes a long way)

Bring to boil margarine, milk, and cocoa.  Remove from heat.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and Peppermint Oil.  Beat well.

I topped my frosting with crushed candy canes and a candy cane Hershey's Kiss.

You Take The Cake!

Last Night I had a Primary Board Meeting.  I really wanted to thank all of the teachers for their many hours of selfless service.  So the theme of the meeting was "You Take The Cake".  Pictured below is the invitation to the meeting.

For refreshments, we had cupcakes.  My good friend Karrie made some delicious Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and also some White Cupcakes with a Raspberry Filling.

I made Chocolate Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese Candy Cane Filling.

And I also made Coconut Lime Cupcakes.

I practiced making the coconut lime cupcakes until I got them just right.  

In fact, I think they were PERFECT!  

This is what I did....

COCONUT LIME CUPCAKES

1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix

3 Large Eggs

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Coconut Milk

1/3 Cup Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest

1 Cup Shredded Coconut

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds).

Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

LIME BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1 teaspoon Lime Juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Lime Zest

Flaked Coconut for decorating

Beat the butter and shortening until smooth, then add sugar and beat.  Add lime juice, vanilla, and lime zest and beat until fluffy.  Spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes and top with shredded coconut (I toasted mine).

The board meeting went well, the cupcakes were even better.  I hope you give these delicious treats a try!

Mini Orange Cupcakes..... A Fun Fall Treat

I'm excited to be back in commission after having my baby.  I now have a baby boy that is 10 days old, and he is cuter than ever.  I really lucked out with him.  He is a very good baby, which makes having 5 kids easier for me to adjust to.  The older kids adore him and always beg to hold him, which gives me time to get things done.  Sometimes I wish I could just have him all to myself, but I take all the snuggles I can get.

Anyway, I've been aching to get back into the kitchen.  I always love Fall and Halloween time.  There are so many fun treats and goodies to make that fill my home with wonderful aromas.  I found a recipe for these Orange Cupcakes on a blog that I follow.  Laura over at http://realmomkitchen.com/ always has fun recipes to try.  I couldn't resist these cupcakes.  I changed them up a little and made them mini.  I also added a candy corn on top to add a little pizazz.

Fresh Orange Cupcakes

• 1 package of yellow cake mix
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sugar, and orange zest. Whisk to combine. Add orange juice, canola oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Blend with the mixer on low speed for one minute, then speed it up to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.

2. Fill cupcake papers about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350F until golden in color and a toothpick test comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes.

3. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
• 6-8 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. (I also added orange food coloring)
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

I think I will make some brownie bites also, and top them with this orange butter cream frosting.  You can't go wrong with chocolate and orange!  I'll save that for another day.

Chocolatey, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

It’s been a while since I last posted anything here. And really, I have no excuse except that I’m trying to lose weight. Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t start a Fitness blog! Maybe that’s to come. Anyway, we have a great abundance of Zucchini this year, so I’ve been on a quest to find ways to get my kids to eat it. To be totally honest, I didn’t like zucchini when I was young either. But now I really quite enjoy it. I made a casserole the other night and loaded it with zucchini, and the kids gobbled it up. They LOVED it!

Well, today I got creative with the Zucchini again. This time around I decided to try some Chocolatey, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes. They turned out Really good. And they taste so DELICIOUS!

For those of you who also have a great abundance of Zucchini, here is the recipe for you to try.

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup grated zucchini

1 cup grated carrots (I just substituted another cup of zucchini)

Chocolate Chips

1 Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating well after each addition. Fold in zucchini, carrots, and chocolate chips.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cupcakes. Yield: 21 cupcakes.

I frosted my cupcakes with a chocolate fudge frosting that I like to make. Here is that recipe....

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 stick butter

6 tablespoons milk

4 tablespoons cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring to boil butter, milk, and cocoa. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well and spread on warm cupcakes.

Next I grated a little chocolate to top it off. I hope you give these a try, and enjoy them as much as we did!

Panda Cupcakes for a Kickin' Kung Fu Panda Party

This year we decided to surprise Ryan with a Kung Fu Panda birthday party. He had no idea we were going to do this. We invited a bunch of his friends over for the excitement. Each of the kids were given a foam sword and a balloon. They were asked to keep the balloons off of the ground, and they could only use their swords. It turned into a giant sword fight, but the kids had a blast! After the sword game, each of the kids were able to make an oragami frog. Then they were given a bowl of noodles and chopsticks, where they had to eat the noodles only using the chopsticks. Then they got to eat the yummy panda cupcakes (which were decorated with mini oreos and mini chocolate chips) and ice cream. Party favors were given out in Chinese "Take Out" boxes. What a fun party!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!