Cupcake inspiration for the week...

Double treat!

Its been hectically busy here in cupcake land... been working like a dag, having little time to bake (sad face) so I decided to treat my nagging mother (love her to bits). YES she has been saying: “When are we going to taste your cupcakes? When is it our turn? PLEASE make us some of your delicious cupcakes!”A double whammy was in order, so I started baking away hectically on which was suppose to be a public holiday.

Firstly I made my mothers favourite cake, and I think everybody else’s favourite in the world Red velvet. I put a little surprise for her inside, a rose Turkish delight. What a nice combination, the red velvet taste, with the cream cheese icing and then this little sweet rose flavoured treat in the middle! Mmm we devoured them all!

Then my obsession at the moment is elephants of coarse, and then the thought of amarula cream popped into my head. So I headed to the local store, grabbed some amarula and started the baking craze. And yes the little treat in the middle was this amazing amarula chocolate I found in the store, its so creamy and chocolaty. WOW... and the icing, infused with amarula, tasted delicious, I think I ate more of the icing then anything else.

Ingrida & Adriaan

What a beautiful day! I had the honor of making a beautiful chocolate cake with purple fondant and icing, topped with lovely frangipani flowers for Ingrida and Adriaan on their special day. I baked and baked, made icing (my mixer was working over time), my hands were coloured purple and lucky the weather was perfect. Any finally came out with this beautiful creation.

 I must say there were a few moments when I thought, “oh no!” Firstly when I started colouring the fondant, oops the purple colouring wasn’t purple at all. It came out baby blue. Ok so this was my first moment of panic. And then I was furious, because I bought 3 bottles of colouring (American coloring) and the first bottle I try was a dud. So I though don’t panic, just add red…mmm epic fail. Then the fondant started to turn to mush, the colour came out black. I was ready to throw in the towel. But then I decided “no way!”So the next morning I marched down to the local baking shop, bought more fondant and first gave them a word about the colouring, and then I started again. The result a beautiful purple fondant, “miracle”I said to myself and was really happy! 

 So after all that I delivered the cake, it looked beautiful and I was so happy. I never thought it could be so nerve wrecking! But all in all, every cake and cupcakes is a learning curve. From here on out…the moon…

Cupcake dress

Oh boy...a wedding cake that is alive! YES!!! I love this, what i way to start a Monday, then with wearing your food...hehehe! And i love all the pretty lace detail...mmm cupcakes could not be more scrumptious!

Secret obsession of the week…

Yes everybody I am a huge Sponge Bob fan. I have admitted my addiction, and then I thought to myself…mmm sponge bob cupcakes. What could be more perfect? (Embarrassing fact = my ringtone is the theme song form Sponge Bob) Actually one of my friends said that her little boy loves sponge bob and that she wants to make him a Sponge Bob cake or cupcakes, and if I had any suggestions or tips.  So here we go…

Now I am also just starting in this baking business, but I think anyone can attempt these Sponge Bob delights seen below. If your not skilled with your piping bag or using fondant (which I recently had some fun with) then why not make plain cupcakes and make beautiful printables, applying them to straws, sticks, etc and pop them on the cupcakes. And there you go, no problem with crafting the most delicate  or even a 150 little Sponge Bob men form fondant.

Otherwise if you want to have a little fun, go ahead. I thought of even making the cupcakes pineapple flavoured…mmm “who lives in a pineapple under the sea” ring any bells? Maybe yellow or blue frosting? I also think a nice meringue frosting would be a hit with children; it’s like edible marshmallow. For kids a definite surprise in the middle of the cupcakes is a must. Think jellybeans, smarties, fizzers…just pop them in after baking. Also never forgetting maybe buying fun cupcake liners will also be great.

So all in all give these Sponge Bob cupcakes a crack, remember the character and colours choices are endless. There is also Sponge Bob’s best friend, Patrick. And the most adorable pet snail ever, Gary! 

Cupid’s arrow cupcakes recipe

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

This recipe is a combination of Buddy Valastro recipes. I absolutely love the Cake Boss, so in all my crazy research these recipes that I combined made the best sense. So please bake these and let me know what you think, I certainly loved it…for my first time!

Cupcakes (24 medium sized)

Ingredients:

375g butter

2 cups sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

20/40 ml red food colouring

3 cups flour (sifted)

¼ tsp fine salt

1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ tsp vinegar

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Pre heat oven to 176 °C.

Mix together the butter, sugar, cocoa, food colouring, flour, salt, vanilla extract, baking soda and vinegar in a bowl. Mix together at low speed then on medium speed for 1 minute until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing through well after each addition. Add the buttermilk in 2 portions. Mix well after additions. Fill each cupcake liner ¾ full with the batter.

Frosting:

500g cream cheese

125g butter

2 ½ cups icing sugar (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Mix well until fluffy.

Decorations:

Heart paper print outs.

Straws

100’s & 1000’s

Red fondant

Cut the straw ¾ of the way. Clamp one end between players and heat with a lighter. The end will see. Fill with 100’s and 1000’s. Close the other end same way as before. Push straw through the baked cupcake which has cooled. Stick heart shaped print cut outs on either end of the straw.

Cut out heart shapes from red fondant. Place on top of frosting

Cupid's arrow cupcakes

So love was all around us this week. Valentines day came and went. Red, pink, hearts and flowers were all around. I literally had hearts in my eyes. But who can forget about the delectable treats that are cupcakes! So with all this love in the air, I decided it’s time to try my first attempt at red velvet and cream cheese frosting.

So I did some research about these wonderful cupcakes, reading about chemical reactions and vinegar, cocoa and buttermilk. Seriously…all these things in one cupcake, I felt like a scientist. But so I did the digging, came up with a few recipes, and then took the plunge. And boy was I rewarded with the most delicious, soft, dense cupcakes. Not even to talk about that cream cheese frosting.

I also have to thank Bakerella, I took some inspiration from her valentines cupcakes with Cupid’s arrow. I just decided to give it a twist, fill the straws with 100’s and 1000’s and poke them through the delicious red velvetness. I personally think that cream cheese icing is the next best thing since sliced bread…but meringue frosting comes a close second.

So please enjoy these Cupid’s arrow cupcakes. Make them for a loved one, for yourself, just anytime you feel like baking. The recipe will be posted soon.