MINT Chocolate

I've been wanting to try this frosting technique for awhile now. I finally got around to it and had an epic failure on my hands. The first few times I tried dipping the cupcakes, the tops and/or frosting just fell off into the melted chocolate. Then I tried freezing the cupcakes before dipping them which seemed to help some.



















All-in-all I was disappointed in more than the process. I indulged in one of the few that did manage to stay in one piece and all that added chocolate just made the top way too heavy for the cake. Luckily, most of the cupcakes I made were normal (as in cake on bottom frosting on top).





















Each time I bake I consider it a learning experience. This time around I learned that mint extract is stronger than most other extracts. I used half of the amount I usually use and thought it was too much. I didn't want to feel like I was eating a big mound of toothpaste. I was also reminded of how concentrate gel food coloring is. That stuff is potent- baleedat!

Things I Love to Bake With

In random order:

1.) Pillsbury Cake Mix. I have no clue why it's the cheapest of the 3 major brands, but it is by far my favorite. It doesn't give me wrinkle tops or an random amount of cupcakes like other brands.

2.) Egglands Best Eggs. I never knew there was an actual difference in eggs, but after a big streak of finding "bad" eggs I tried EB. I have yet to encounter something disturbing which makes this non egg lover happy :)

3.) Kitchen Aid Mixer. I make large quantities of frosting when I bake. I can't imagine managing without it.

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese

Can you believe these red velvet cupcakes started out as a German Chocolate cake mix? Shhh... don't tell everybody! It's a delicious recipe that includes some vanilla pudding and sour cream as well.



























Luckily, the recipe made 30 cupcakes and the order was just for 24, so I got to sample :) They are really, really good!

Polka-dot heart blanket is what Aubree calls it

To quote my husband "Your gonna be great at all those womanly things when we get old, babe" What he meant was sewing and cooking basically. Why sewing you ask? Well, because of this:



















If you remember, my only other sewing experience is with these (which I made 2 more pairs of this weekend). I can now thread my sewing machine and fill a bobbin without reading directions! I have the itch for sewing all of a sudden and have all these ideas of things I want to try.

First on my list is pillowcase dresses. If you have never heard of them (where have you been?), here is a picture of one:


















Cute, huh?

My friend, and all things homemade expert, Candace has already agreed to have a "sewing date" with me and tackle them.

Also, I found this adorable blanket. It looks super easy too! I'm gonna wait and start this after we get back from vacation (which is only 18 days away!).

Yay for a potential new hobby that is calorie free!

Yes, more cupcakes

Do you know what those are?


Wanna guess?


Those are Samoa cupcakes.


Remember?


Chocolate cake, caramel filling, coconut frosting. Yep. Pretty awesome.


I used caramel ice cream topping and it was too thin to use as filling, but the commissary on base was closed or I would have probably whipped up some cream to add to it. Oh well.. that's the beauty of experimental baking... you figure out how to make it better the 2nd time around.


As for Derek's opinion. He left me a note on the computer that said: "Well, I had to eat another cupcake after you went to bed and now I declare them the BEST cupcakes that you’ve made…..they are the best in every way. The caramel soaked into the cupcake makes it super moist and more flavorful, the icing is fantastic, and the toasted coconut gives added flavor and texture. They are the best yet!!!"


:) Sweet husband and even sweeter cupcake apparently! :)


Next on my agenda is Mint Chocolate with a super cool frosting technique I've never tried before.


Stay tuned!

My Favorite Cupcake Ever

My favorite cupcake thus far in my 28 years of life has yet to be named by me. At this cupcake shop in town I'm pretty sure they call it Hazelnut Heaven, but it's a little different than mine. I make a chocolate cupcake, fill it with Nutella and top it with maple buttercream (they use Praline). I'm pretty sure I've blogged about it before, but I'm just too lazy to go through the archives and check. Anyway, they're having Family Day at Derek's work today so if you or your husband is part of JSF you will have a chance to try one of these:


















Their not so pretty. Need a little garnish. Maybe some shaved chocolate that I don't have on hand. Anyway, I was watching Cupcake Wars on Food Network last night and got a WONDERFUL idea for a cupcake. The guy did a play on the girl scout cookie Caramel deLite (or Samoas). If you know me, you know there's nothing I'd rather do than turn desserts into cupcake form. Basically it's a chocolate cupcake filled with caramel, topped with coconut buttercream, sprinkled with toasted coconut and drizzled with more caramel. (Boy, was that a run-on sentence or what!) It's pretty much all my favorite things rolled into one. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THEM!