Decorate This!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

2012-02-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Once a month, my dad and his friends get together to play a friendly game of poker, and I usually provide some sweets! Recently, I was asked to make whatever I wanted - and I decided that this was a great opportunity to try out something new.

I have TONS of all sorts of recipes pinned on Pinterest - and these Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars stood out. Melt in your mouth shortbread, topped with a thick layer of rich, buttery, and perfectly chewy caramel, finished with a chocolate glaze and salt? Delicious! These bars got rave reviews; I'll certainly be making them again soon. Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars
Source: Annie's Eats

Shortbread layer:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

Caramel layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate layer:
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. light corn syrup
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling

Prepare shortbread:

Preheat the oven to 325° F, and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (I like for the parchment to hang over the sides of the baking pan, which makes it really easy to get the bars out of the pan).
In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, blend in the dry ingredients until just incorporated - do not over-mix.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.
Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. (If the crust puffs up a bit while baking, just gently press it down while it is cooling.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Prepare caramel:

Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly.
Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture turns an amber color and thickens slightly (this will take a while).
Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer, smooth the top, and allow to cool completely and set. You can put the pan into the refrigerator to speed things up; make sure the caramel is completely cool before pouring on the chocolate glaze.

Prepare chocolate glaze:

Combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour evenly over the caramel layer and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
Allow to cool for a minute or two and then sprinkle with fleur de sel.
Chill, covered, until ready to slice and serve. Great with coffee or tea!

A Tribute to My Auntie

2011-11-23T18:09:00.000-05:00

My Auntie (L) and my mom, September 2010

Three weeks ago today, the world lost an amazing woman - my Auntie - after a several year long battle with cancer. It was absolutely heartbreaking and gut wrenching to see her in so much pain in the last several years, and excruciatingly sad to lose her. She was much beloved by all us, and touched so many lives as a sister, aunt, friend, teacher ... she is truly missed.

My aunt lived her life in the healthiest way that she knew how, filled with vitamins and meditation, years of being a vegetarian, etc. I remember a conversation I had with her years ago, in which she exclaimed, "I wish I had eaten more cookies!!" Now, she meant this in the most literal sense possible, but it can also be translated as a statement to advise all of us to live life to the fullest.

My aunt's passing is a somber reminder that nothing in life is a guarantee. You can live your life by the books, and make decisions that you think are great, but there's never a promise that tomorrow will come. All you can do is to enjoy the time you have today, with the people that you love, doing things that you enjoy and enhance your life happiness - in other words, eat more cookies (perhaps literally and figuratively!). And if you are able, please, please, please, consider donating your time, energy, and/or money to cancer research organizations. Every little bit helps - together, we can make a huge difference.

Taking her words literally, my next several blog posts will be all about cookies, and will be dedicated to my Auntie. The first recipe I'll share with you reminds me of my days as a Girl Scout - Samoa Bar Cookies! These bars are chewy and delicious, and are pretty darn close to the real thing. Making them in bar form makes them really easy to put together - far less labor intensive than replicating the original look.

Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas Bars

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
12 oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon milk
12 oz dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Prepare the crust:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper (I prefer to line with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to allow you to lift the bars out of the pan once assembled; this will allow for easier cutting).
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
Reduce speed to low, and gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Prepare topping:

Preheat oven to 300F.
Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden (watch the coconut carefully as it begins to brown - it can go from golden to burned very quickly). Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute, until caramel is melted. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using an offset spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cool, carefully life bars out of the pan (if using parchment paper with overhang), and cut into 30 bars with a large knife.

Dip and drizzle:

Melt chocolate in a small bowl, stirring often to prevent it from burning.
Dip the base of each bar into the melted chocolate, and place on a piece of parchment paper to set.
Transfer remaining chocolate to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let the chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Caramel Apple Tutorial

2011-10-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

Fall is my favorite season here in New England. The crisp, cool air, the changing leaves, and knowing that the holidays are just around the corner makes me one happy girl. Last weekend, the Love Of My Life (LOML) and I went apple picking at a wonderful orchard in Amesbury, MA. Though it was toward the end of apple picking season and many of the trees were bare, we still managed to harvest a whopping 14 pounds of apples! Now, what to do with all of that fruit ... apple pie? Apple crisp? Eat them plain? Hmmmm....

We decided to try our hand at making caramel apples! Though time-consuming, none of the steps are particularly difficult. Make the caramel, melt the chocolate, dip the apples, pour on the toppings, and enjoy! This was the first time I made caramel using honey instead of sugar, and I was really happy with the results. Thick, buttery, and really delicious, without using refined sugar or corn syrup.

Equipment Required

Lollipop or popsicle sticks
Baking sheet, lined with waxed paper or silpat
Candy thermometer

Ingredients

Apples
Heavy Cream
Honey
Chocolate for dipping: I like to use Chocoley Bada Bing Bada Boom Chocolate Melts (no tempering required, and the chocolate tastes great!). We used the dark chocolate candy melts for our apples, which paired nicely with the sweet, buttery caramel
Toppings: We dipped our apples into chopped peanuts, chopped Heathbar, and M&Ms. You can use whatever nuts or other candy you like!

Technique

Prepare apples. If waxed, scrub gently to remove all wax (if you do not, your caramel will not stick to the apples and you will end up with a mess). Remove stems, and push a lollipop or popsicle stick deep into the core of the apple.
Prepare toppings, and place in bowls that are large enough to fit the entire apple.
Make caramel for dipping (see recipe below).
Dip prepared apples into caramel. I like to tilt the saucepan and allow the caramel to pool, and then dip and twirl apple gently until coated. Set on waxed paper or silpat lined cookie sheet to set.
Once caramel has set on apples, melt your chocolate according to package directions. Dip the caramel-enrobed apples into the chocolate. Let excess drip off, and allow to set for a moment before rolling in toppings.
Roll apple in toppings as desired.
Let set completely, then package to give as gifts or enjoy!

Caramel for dipping apples
Makes enough to cover 6-8 small apples
Source: 101 Cookbooks

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup honey

Special equipment: candy thermometer

Fill a bowl with cold water - bowl should be large enough to set your saucepan into.
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the cream and salt over medium-high heat until bubbles begin forming around the edges.
Stir in honey, and bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15-20 minutes or until the mixture reaches 255-260F (this took closer to 30 minutes for me). Caramel will darken and thicken as it gets hotter.
Carefully place the saucepan into the bowl prepared with cold water to stop it from cooking.
Stir caramel and allow to cool until thick enough to coat apples. You want the mixture to be thin enough so that it easily covers the apples, but no so thin that it will run right off. If the caramel thickens too much, place back on burner for a short period of time to heat it up a little bit.

Brendan and Ilona's Wedding

2011-10-06T20:11:00.000-04:00

My friends Brendan and Ilona recently tied the knot, and I was absolutely honored to make their wedding cake! There were three different flavors offered: chocolate filled with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries, carrot filled with cream cheese icing, and white cake filled with vanilla bean creme and fresh strawberries. The cake was enrobed in white fondant, and embellished with cranberry ribbon and coordinating gumpaste flowers.

Congratulations to you both, and wishing you a long life of happiness, love, and health!

Treasure Chest Cake

2011-08-25T15:48:00.000-04:00

After a short hiatus to take handle some things in my personal life - I'm back in caking action :)

I made this treasure chest cake for my friend George's daughter's 5th birthday party, and it was SO much fun to make. It's pretty much the first 3-D, non-standard shaped cake I've made, and definitely challenged me a bit to think outside of the box.

The lid was made out of rice krispie treats; the box portion was yellow cake filled with chocolate buttercream. I covered the whole thing with dark chocolate fondant, and created the pearl strands, coins, and chest embellishments out of fondant and gumpaste. And of course - what's a treasure chest without a little beach element - the cake was surrounded by graham cracker crumb "sand". I'm absolutely thrilled with the result!

Happy 5th birthday Zoe!!

National S'mores Day!

2011-08-10T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hi all. Me again. I know it's been over a month since I last posted, but life took some unexpected twists and turns (isn't life good at doing things like that?). However - I'm pretty much back, and looking forward to sharing more sugar with all of you!

Did you know that today is National S'mores Day?? Head on over to the Sugar Turntable to check out the recipes for s'mores pops and peanut butter crunch s'mores bars - no campfire required! Or, if you have a little bit more time on your hands, check out the recipe for my amazing s'mores cupcakes.

Giveaway: Plate to Pixel Book Winner!

2011-07-07T09:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who entered the Plate to Pixel Book giveaway! I'm happy to announce that the winner is .... Lisa!

Lisa, please contact me at kristen@queenbeecakery.com by end of day tomorrow (7/8) to claim your prize!

Giveaway: Plate to Pixel Book!

2011-07-01T06:09:00.001-04:00

After working hard to finish up a cake, it can be tempting to just snap a few quick photos of your work and call it a day. However - photos DO tell a thousand (or more) words, and it's smart and satisfying to be able to capture your hard work in beautiful, enticing photographs. The amazing Helene Dujardin of Tartelette recently came out with her first book - Plate to Pixel. This wonderful book is packed full of advice and tricks of the trade on food styling and photography, which is accessible for even the beginning photographer. This is truly one of of my favorite new books!

How would you like to win a copy, to help you in your pursuit of gorgeous, enticing photos?

All you have to do to enter is:

Follow my blog (just click that Follow button to the right!)
Leave a comment on this post, with a link to a blog that has photographs that you admire.

And that's it! Deadline to enter is Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 8 pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Thursday.

Good luck!!!

This giveaway is open only to legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S. (and the District of Columbia).

Description from amazon.com: Tips and techniques for making food look good—before it tastes good!

Food photography is on the rise, with the millions of food bloggers around the word as well as foodies who document their meals or small business owners who are interested in cutting costs by styling and photographing their own menu items, and this book should serve as your first course in food photography. Discover how the food stylist exercises unique techniques to make the food look attractive in the finished product. You’ll get a taste of the visual know-how that is required to translate the perceptions of taste, aroma, and appeal into a stunning, lavish finished photograph.

Takes you through the art and techniques of appetizing food photography for everyone from foodies to food bloggers to small business owners looking to photograph their food themselves
Whets your appetite with delicious advice on food styling, lighting, arrangement, and more
Author is a successful food blogger who has become a well-known resource for fellow bloggers who are struggling with capturing appetizing images of their creations

So, have the cheese say, "Cheese!" with this invaluable resource on appetizing food photography.

Audrey & Winson's Wedding

2011-06-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending my friend Audrey's wedding at the gorgeous Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, NY. Audrey and Winson are pretty much the cutest couple ever - and I couldn't be happier for them!!

The Botanic Garden is amazing - I can't wait to go back and spend the day walking around. From a garden filled with flowers from Shakespeare's novels to amazing rose gardens, there was far too much to see in the hour or so that we had to walk around. Just a few shots of some of the beautiful flowers in bloom ...

For their wedding favors, I made red velvet cake pops, dipped in white chocolate and a milk chocolate drizzle. Packaged in colors to coordinate with their wedding color scheme, the cake pops added an elegant touch to each table setting.

After dinner, our table could barely wait to eat their favors! Here are our new friends, Kristen and Wai-Sing, clearly enjoying their cake pops:

Audrey and Winson - wishing you a life filled with love, laughter, and endless happiness!!

The beautiful bride and me!

Featured on Sugar Turntable!

2011-06-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

These days, there are plenty of good cake related resources out there - but it's rare to find a really *great* one! The Sugar Turntable is filled with fantastic tutorials and creative cake and sugar ideas. Kathryn, the amazing woman behind the blog, owned a wedding cake bakery for several years, and is now sharing her love of baking and expertise online.

I'm delighted to say that my cake pop tutorial is featured on the Sugar Turntable today - head on over and check it out!

Guest Post: Summer S'mores

2011-06-27T21:24:00.001-04:00

Happy summer everyone! Last week, I mentioned that my guest post this month on the Pure Joy Events blog would piggy back and my s'mores cupcakes post. I'm happy to say that the recipes are up - head on over to learn how to make s'mores pops and peanut butter crunch s'mores bars!

A S'mores Extravaganza!

2011-06-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

The official start of summer is just about a week away - and nothing says summer to me quite like s'mores! The gooey, melted chocolate, slightly cripsy and totally melted marshmallows and crunchy graham crackers? Yes, please.

Today I have a twist on this popular campfire treat - s'mores cupcakes! Don't be intimidated by the number of steps - each one is pretty easy, and the outcome is certainly worth it. Wondering what the other treats are in the photo above? In addition to the s'mores cupcakes, we have peanut butter crunch s'mores bars and s'mores pops - you'll learn how to make both later this month in my guest post on the Pure Joy Events blog!

S'mores Cupcakes (Adapted from Annie's Eats)
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

Graham cracker crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately 1 package of graham crackers)
¼ cup sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted

Finely process graham crackers in a food processor. Once fine and uniform, add sugar and melted butter. Process together until the mixture is moist and clumps together. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner, and press down to line the bottom of the liner (use the bottom of a shot glass or squeeze bottle). Bake for 5 minutes, and remove from oven (maintain oven temperature).

Chocolate cake:
2 cups plus 2 T sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1½ t baking powder
1½ t baking soda
1 t salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be very thin).

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow frosting:
8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
½ t cream of tartar
2 t vanilla extract

Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. (Note: I set my clean - bowl must be very clean, with no traces of grease - dry mixer bowl over simmering water). Heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it reaches 160° F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture is cool. Mix in the vanilla until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Brown with a kitchen torch (or brown under the broiler in your oven) and garnish with chocolate and graham cracker segments.

Stars & Stripes Graduation Cake

2011-06-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I had the pleasure of creating a gorgeous Stars & Stripes themed cake for a big graduation party for a brother and sister. Eric and Lauren graduated from college and high school respectively, and had a pretty fabulous party!

The top two tiers were lemon cake with lemon cream filling, the third tier chocolate cake with cappuccino cream filling, and the bottom tier coordinated perfectly with the party theme - red, white and blue velvet with vanilla cream filling (I can't wait to see a picture of a slice of the red, white, and blue cake!). This is the biggest cake I've made yet - yes, I've made other 4-tier cakes, but this is the first one that's all cake. I really enjoyed creating this cake - everything went super smoothly, and I couldn't be happier with the final result.

Congratulations Lauren & Eric! Best wishes to both of you in the next chapters of your lives!

Laurie & Scott's Wedding

2011-06-05T13:22:00.001-04:00

My cousin Scott married Laurie last night in a beautiful ceremony at The Greenhouse, in Plymouth NH. The party continued afterward at a super cute inn just down the road.

And now for the sweets (and there were a lot of them last night!). Guests brought home chocolate cake pop flavors...

...and ate lots of cupcakes for dessert! We offered four types of cupcakes - white velvet filled with lemon curd and blueberries, white velvet filled with strawberries & cream (both topped with vanilla buttercream), chocolate filled with a ganache filled raspberry and topped with chocolate buttercream, and chocolate stout cake filled with whiskey ganache and topped with Bailey's buttercream. The cutting cake was white velvet filled with strawberries and cream, and was embellished with modern purple flowers. Sorry that these pictures aren't the most fabulous - I'll have some better ones up soon!

Laurie and Scott cutting their cake - I'm going to say that Laurie was giving the cake a "thumbs up" in the second picture!

Immediately after the cake was cut, the crowd descended upon the cupcakes. Everyone LOVED them - this is a huge reason that caking makes me so darn happy!

And me at the end of the night - looking a little tired, but super happy!

Congratulations you two lovebirds! We were so happy to be there to celebrate this momentous occasion in your lives!

Danielle's Birthday

2011-05-28T07:40:00.000-04:00

More bubbles and lace (I'm in love with my new lace molds!) for my friend Danielle's birthday party! Both tiers were chocolate cake; the top was filled with chocolate ganache and cappuccino cream filling, and the bottom filled with chocolate ganache and raspberry preserves.

The gorgeous birthday girl with our friend Mike - and cake!

Danielle - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hoping that the year ahead is the best ever! xo

Featured on The White Library!

2011-05-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Remember the black, white, and red dessert table I created for my friend's housewarming party earlier this year? I am thrilled and honored to say that it is featured on The White Library! The White Library is an absolutely gorgeous resource for event design inspiration and inspired living. Whether you're looking for some dessert table eye candy, home or event design ideas, or crafty projects - the White Library has it all. Head on over and be inspired!

Ivory and Lavender Bridal Shower Cake

2011-05-23T20:29:00.001-04:00

I made this gorgeous ivory and lavender cake for a bridal shower this past weekend. The top tier was lemon cake filled with lemon curd; the bottom tier was chocolate fudge cake filled with chocolate ganache and raspberry jam.

I think one of the challenges when starting large(r) projects is estimating how much you'll need in terms of ingredients - as well as time. It doesn't matter what industry you are in - it all comes down to resources and time! Just to give you an idea of what goes into a cake like this ... 6" and 9" square cakes, 3.5 quarts of buttercream, an entire recipe of chocolate ganache that uses 1lb of chocolate, a pint of lemon curd, just over a cup of raspberry jam, and about 7lbs of fondant, between covering both cakes and the embellishments. And yes - a lot of time as well. Whew!

Laura and Jay - wishing you a beautiful wedding day and a lifetime of happiness together!

Kim's Graduation

2011-05-16T20:31:00.002-04:00

I am SO proud of my little sister, Kim. You all first heard about her almost 2 years ago, when she married her amazing husband, Brian. Well, Kim has been a pretty busy bee over the past few years. Yesterday, she graduated from her accelerated pharmacy school program as a Doctor of Pharmacy, and is now entering the Airforce as pharmacist and a captain!

Kim being promoted to *Captain*!

As part of her graduation gift, of course I had to make a cake. I wanted to make something pretty and whimsical (and I also wanted to try out my new lace mold!). The cake was chocolate fudge filled with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries. It was a super rainy day in Boston yesterday; I was very happy to have a few minutes to take some pictures outside. Yes, my parents' backyard really is that green - spring is wonderful!

Kim - CONGRATULATIONS!!! We are so incredibly proud of you, and we can't wait to see where your next adventure takes you! I know that the next few years are filled with many unknowns, but I know that you can rise above any challenges that life throws your way.

Cupcake Kit Giveaway Extended!

2011-05-13T12:44:00.002-04:00

Update 5/13: And the lucky winner is ... Nisha! I'll be contacting you shortly so that you can claim your prize :) Thanks all for reading, participating, and for sharing your favorite recipes - this is the first give away of many!

Due to the problems with Blogger yesterday and today, I've extended the giveaway for another day! Apparently, they had some problems with a maintenance update that they put out, and "temporarily" removed all comments, etc from yesterday morning onward (check out Blogger's twitter feed). So, a few comments on the giveaway post were removed :(

Sorry about this all - bad timing! If your comment was removed, please re-add it :) And for all of you that haven't entered yet - you now have until tonight at 8PM EST!

French Macarons and Cookies Class

2011-05-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

Close-up of a hazelnut-pistachio financier

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending a French macaron and cookies class (with the lovely Victoria from Cakeology!) at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. The class was taught by Master Pastry Chef Delphin Gomes, who is absolutely amazing at his craft and super entertaining; we had so much fun!

Now, I was expecting to learn *something* in this class - but it completely blew my expectations out of the water. The class was really, really fanstastic. Life changing, even. I learned A TON, not only about macarons, but about baking technique in general. During the four hour class, we made four flavors of macarons and ganaches - pistachio, raspberry, lemon, and coffee - hazelnut-pistachio financiers, almond tuiles (delightfully flavored with orange zest), and lemon madeleines.

Just a few of the helpful macaron making tidbits that I picked up:

Two major factors when making French macarons are a) how you whip your egg whites, and b) how much moisture is in your batter. Egg whites should never be whipped to stiff peaks; moisture makes your macarons crack. Humidity should not be a factor (much to the contrary of many sources that I have read).
To go along with the whole moisture bit - it's best to flavor your macaron shells with extracts, herbs, spices, etc - in other words, you'll get much better results if you use intensely flavored, dry ingredients than it is to try to flavor your shells with say, fruit puree. You would need to add a lot of fruit puree to your batter before it will add enough flavor, and in doing so, you'll add far too much liquid to your batter.
Too many pans in your oven at the same time can create an environment with too much moisture - which means cracking macarons. To mitigate this; prop your oven door open just a little bit. That will be enough to allow the excess moisture to escape.
You can make macarons with really any nuts that you like, but make sure that you always use at least half almond flour. Almonds are fibrous nuts that will help hold the batter together, and have a neutral flavor, which will keep the shells from being too over-poweringly nutty.
If you want to make your own almond flour, freeze the nuts first, and then run them through your food processor with a bit of powdered sugar. This will help you get a super fine flour, and will reduce or eliminate sifting!

Unfortunately, I was too busy taking notes and paying attention to take any action shots (I promise there will be some next time!). Here are a few shots of our finished products:

All of the amazing treats I got to take home!

Pretty and perfect macarons

Deliciously crispy almond tuiles

I absolutely cannot wait to take more classes at the CSCA; Victoria and I are hoping to take every class that Chef Delphin has to offer! If any of you are in the Boston area, I'd highly recommend the school; their recreational programs are awesome, and range from pastry technique to wine tasting classes to cooking classes for couples. Boston peeps - go get your learn on!

And - don't forget to enter to win my first give away - an awesome cupcake decorating kit!

Cupcake Decorating Kit Giveaway!

2011-05-10T09:39:00.005-04:00

My blog just hit 100 followers WOOOHOOOO!! :) Definitely cause for a little celebration, in the form of a giveaway! I really can't thank all of you enough for stopping by to check out my latest cake creation, or to learn a little something from a tutorial. If there is anything else you'd like to see here - tutorials, recipes, etc - please drop me an email at kristen@queenbeecakery.com.

Due to the popularity of my Cupcake Decorating Tutorial, I thought it was only appropriate to give away a cupcake decorating kit! The lucky winner will receive:

1 dozen handmade pinwheel cupcake wrappers
1 dozen handmade flower cupcake wrappers
4 extra large piping tips
1 heavy duty 16" piping bag
1 cupcake dummy for practicing
A variety of sprinkles and sugars for decorating!

All you have to do to enter is:

Follow my blog!
Leave a comment on this post, with a link to your favorite cupcake recipe. Please also include your email address in your comment, so that I can contact you if you are the lucky winner!

And that's it! Deadline to enter is ~~Thursday, May 12~~ (extended due to Blogger maintenance problems on May 12/13) Friday May 13 at 8 pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Friday evening on this post.

Good luck, and thank you all again!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-06T22:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mamas out there! I hope that your day is relaxing, beautiful, and filled with love and sweet treats (of course). What could be more perfect than a chocolate cake with vanilla bean creme filling with lots of pink ruffles to top off a wonderful meal?

How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year? If you haven't quite figured out dessert yet - check out the recipe for my creamy Meyer Lemon Tart on the Pure Joy Events blog (Part I // Part II)!

Unfortunately, my sister and I will not be able to spend Mother's Day with our mom this year; instead we'll be on a little road trip, driving from Missouri to Boston. Definitely looking forward to getting home to give my mom a great big hug, and remind her just how much she is loved :)

Pssstttt - only a few followers to go before I reach 100 - which means that my give away is going to happen soon (see this post for a few details...)!

Bloggers Bake for Hope - Virtual Bake Sale is OPEN!

2011-05-04T07:17:00.000-04:00

The virtual bake sale at Bloggers Bake for Hope is now open, and you can bid until Midnight (EST) on Friday, May 6th. Please support this cause by bidding on a delicious baked good! For more information about Bloggers Bake for Hope, see my post from last week, or head on over to Bloggers Bake for Hope!

Delicious "leftovers" desserts, and details about my first give away!

2011-05-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I donated dessert for an auction dinner at the church I grew up in, in my hometown. Four types of cupcakes later, I still had some extra lemon curd and white and dark chocolate ganache! I hate seeing food go to waste, so I decided to whip up some desserts for Sunday dinner with my parents to use up all of my leftovers.

I made a cinnamon-pecan cookie crust for a lemon curd tart, that was absolutely delicious...

... and rolled my leftover ganache into truffles - dark chocolate rolled in cocoa, and white chocolate rolled in shredded coconut:

These desserts were the perfect way to end a gorgeous spring day and a great dinner with family. What are some of your favorite things to do with leftovers?

In other exciting news - my little blog is creeping up to 100 followers - yippee! I felt that this was a good time to have my first give away. Once I hit 100 followers, the give away will be triggered, and I'll make a post with all of the details. Due to the popularity of my Cupcake Decorating Tutorial, I think it is appropriate to give away cupcake decorating supplies! The lucky winner will receive:

1 dozen handmade pinwheel cupcake wrappers
1 dozen handmade flower cupcake wrappers
4 extra large piping tips
1 heavy duty 16" piping bag
1 cupcake dummy for practicing
A variety of sprinkles and sugars for decorating!

The sooner I hit 100 followers, the sooner the giveaway will happen! Please spread the word about my blog on Facebook, Twitter, by linking from your own blog, etc - and become a follower today! :)

Gearing up to celebrate 250 years - the Dover Church auction

2011-05-01T22:25:00.008-04:00

The church I grew up in - the Dover Church, in Dover, MA - is celebrating its 250th anniversary next year, and preparations are underway for the sestercentennial celebration in November 2012. This church has been operational since 1762 - 1762!!! Everyone wants to make this once in a lifetime event memorable and meaningful. This past weekend was the first major event - an auction - to kickoff the effort that will take the church on a journey for the next year and half. The proceeds from the auction and other fund-raising efforts will go toward things like church restorations and other social concerns.

The evening was wonderful and hugely successful. My mom and I volunteered to help serve dinner at the auction, and I donated all of the desserts - cupcakes! It was truly amazing to be a part of such a vibrant, helpful, generous and genuinely nice community. Everything looked gorgeous - I wish I had more pictures, but we were too busy running around! Here are a few shots of the main room (I *love* the pink and green):

We were too busy to take pictures of the cupcakes at the event, but here are a few from earlier in the day. The cupcakes - red velvet with white chocolate ganache filling, chocolate with cappuccino cream filling, coconut with chocolate ganache filling, and lemon with lemon curd and a fresh blackberry - were all topped with a generous dollop of vanilla buttercream and sparkling sugars. I handmade decorative wrappers with scalloped edges and whimsical, swarovski crystal embellished flowers:

Check out my cupcake wrapper tutorial, to learn how you can make these decorative wrappers!

The cupcakes were served on tiered glass stands, and were enjoyed by all. I even heard a few people say that they were the best part of dinner, which was a huge compliment considering how delicious dinner was!

I'm really excited to see how the church transforms over the next year, and I hope to be able to attend the momentous 250th anniversary celebration!

This just in ... Angry Birds play golf!

2011-05-01T12:43:00.001-04:00

My friend Keerthi threw her husband Aravind a fabulous party for this 40th birthday - and of course she needed a special cake to end the night on a sweet note! We decided to incorporate two of Aravind's favorite things - Angry Birds and golf - into the design for a small cutting cake. The cake was chocolate with cappuccino cream filling, and was accompanied by red velvet and car bomb cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. Everything on the cake (well, except for the flag pole!) is handmade and edible.

Also - don't forget to head on over to the Pure Joy Events blog to check the second part of my guest post this month - the recipe for the flaky, delicious tart shell for the Meyer lemon Mother's Day tart!

Bloggers Bake for Hope

2011-04-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

It is very unfortunate that the word "cancer" comes up with so much frequency these days. Breast cancer awareness is something that I personally feel very passionate about - my amazing Aunt Chris was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago, and has had an up and down, painful battle with this terrible disease. It is absolutely heartbreaking to watch someone you love so much go through all of this pain. I hope that a cure is not far off!

Jen (Beantown Baker) and Cara (Cara’s Cravings), two Boston area food bloggers, have teamed up for a project called Bloggers Bake for Hope, a virtual bake sale as part of Bake for Hope. Bloggers will donate their choice of baked goods, which will be auctioned off between May 4-6th. Jen and Cara set a $2000 goal for the auction - and they need your help!

I'm donating 2 dozen of my sparkly cupcake sugar cookies; are you donating anything? If you don't want to bake, consider bidding on some treats - there are some wonderful desserts already up for sale! Please also spread the word on Facebook, your own blog, through word of mouth - together we can make a big difference!!

About Bake for Hope

Bake for Hope is a week long, nation-wide, 100% volunteer-run, bake sale event happening, the week leading up to Mother's Day. Proceeds donated to local Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates.

Bloggers Bake for Hope is a virtual bake sale. Bloggers will donate their time, ingredients, and shipping costs so there are no expenses associated with this virtual bake sale. All proceeds from the bake sale will be sent to the Massachusetts Komen for the Cure.

Jen and Cara, two Boston area food bloggers have teamed up for a project called Bloggers Bake for Hope, a virtual bake sale as part of Bake for Hope. Jen serves up sweets at Beantown Baker, while Cara shares healthy, creative dinners at Cara’s Cravings.

Both Cara and Jen have been successful fundraisers for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the past. Cara is currently organizing the third annual Bake for Hope at her company’s office site in Marlboro, MA. Last year’s event raised over $2500. Jen has made breast cancer awareness part of her personal mission. In 2004, Jen’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, Jen, her sisters, mom, and aunts walk the Race for the Cure every year. Jen and her family have raised thousands of dollars for the various Komen for the Cure affiliates.

Jen and Cara feel a strong connection to the cause, and are avid bloggers with a strong following. Thus, teaming up to host an online bake sale seemed like a fun and natural way to take things to the next level. The virtual bake sale will take place on May 4-6, 2011. Bloggers and bakers from across the country will agree in advance to donate baked goods. Buyers will make virtual pledges on the Bloggers Bake for Hope site, and at the close of the bake sale the highest bidders will be awarded the donated baked goods. They will make their donations via PayPal, and the bakers will then bake and ship their goods. Because the bakers are donating their ingredients, time, and shipping costs, there are no expenses associated with the virtual bake sale. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Massachusetts Komen for the Cure. Jen and Cara are challenging their fellow bakers and bloggers to help them raise $2000 through Bloggers Bake for Hope.

Guest Post: Mother's Day Dessert - Meyer Lemon Tart

2011-04-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is right around the corner - less than a week and a half away! What will you be doing this year for the special women in your life?

My mom loves anything lemon, and for Mother's Day, I'll be making her this amazing Meyer lemon tart. Meyer lemons are thought to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange, and are sweeter, milder, and less acidic than regular lemons. The mild, sweet juice creates a delightful flavor in this light, spring dessert.

Head on over to Pure Joy Events to check out the first part of my guest post this month - the recipe for the creamy, Meyer lemon tart filling.

Happy Birthday (Angry Birds style!)

2011-04-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Today is Matthew's 5th birthday - and him and all of his friends will be celebrating with a pretty awesome Angry Bird's themed cake!

The cake itself is chocolate with chocolate ganache filling, covered with dark chocolate fondant. All of the angry birds, pigs, slingshot and other props are made from gumpaste and fondant.

Happy Birthday Matthew - I hope your day is awesome!!!

Cupcake Decorating 101

2011-04-18T21:50:00.001-04:00

My blog has been a little bit quiet lately - which means that I've been spending lots of time in the kitchen! This past weekend, I was particularly busy getting ready for my first decorating class - cupcake decorating techniques! The class started off with a baking demonstration and a discussion about baking techniques and tools. During the second half of the class, everyone piped lots and lots of buttercream, and decorated their cupcakes with a variety of embellishments, including sprinkles and decorative sugars and fondant and paper toppers.

We all had a great time, and I am seriously impressed by everyone's cupcake decorating skills! I can't wait to see what you all create next :)

Guest Post: French Macaron Tutorial

2011-04-07T07:09:00.005-04:00

I am absolutely thrilled to be the new resident baking and treat decorating guest blogger on the Pure Joy Events blog! Christine, the amazing woman behind Pure Joy Events, plans some seriously awesome children's parties. Her blog is a wonderful source for ideas and tutorials - definitely one you do not want to miss.

Today, I share Part I of a two part series on French Macarons. Head over to the Pure Joy Events blog to check it out!

Pinwheel Party Preview

2011-04-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

I love this whimsical cake! Pink pinwheels adorn a simple cake covered with white fondant. This cake would be the perfect addition to any party or celebration.

Chocolate cupcakes in a pinwheel wrapper


Smore's pops!

French macarons with lemon marscarpone filling

More pictures to come soon - thanks so much for stopping by!

Cupcake Wrapper Tutorial

2011-03-29T20:23:00.002-04:00

Readers - this tutorial has been a LONG time coming! Ever since I posted about making my own cupcake wrappers (a long time ago, admittedly), I've received tons of questions about them. Finally - some instructions and a template for all of you!!! These wrappers can be time consuming to make, but can really go a long way to dress up your cupcakes.

Materials

Wrapper Template - Download Here! This template makes a wrapper that hooks together, and will hold all by itself (just like the laser cut wrappers). No tape necessary!
Decorative Paper - really anything will do! I've made wrappers out of scrapbook paper, decorative plastic sheets, and regular paper. I prefer to use a heavier weight material (like scrapbook paper) - you'll want something that will hold its shape, and won't show grease through the paper if your cupcake or frosting touches it.
Scissors: for cutting out your wrappers, of course. For those of you who have cutting machines (like the Craft Robo or Silhouette), you should be able to create cut files pretty easily from my template.
Exacto Knife - for cutting out the slot that the wrapper tab will fit into.
Fancy Design Scissors - you'll use these scissors to create decorative top edges for your wrappers. These are totally optional. I have tons of these scissors! Fiskars makes decent ones, that aren't too expensive.
Other decorating materials / decorative elements: you can get as creative as you like when it comes to decorating your wrappers! I chose to embellish the wrappers you see in this post with tiny pinwheels, a flower I cut out of the paper I was using, and flat-back Swarovski crystals. Just a few things you might consider using - rubber stamps and ink, paper punches (these come in pretty much any shape you can imagine!), pretty stickers, etc. Use your imagination here!

Technique

Download my handy template, and trace onto cardboard (I used part of a bakery box). Cut the tab and slot carefully.
Trace template on the wrapper paper of your choosing with a pencil. You'll want to erase any leftover marks after you cut out your wrappers.
Cut out your wrappers, and again - cut the tab and slot carefully.
Hook the tab into the slot - and voila! A cupcake wrapper! You may need to adjust the size of the tab/slot to make them fit together.
Cut the top of the wrapper with your decorative scissors, and embellish as you like.

A sweet way to say "See You Soon"

2011-03-28T20:10:00.001-04:00

There's no other way to put this: it stinks when awesome co-workers leave! My friend Wooju's last day was today, and in lieu of the traditional "good bye" card, I decided to make sugar cookies that everyone could decorate. Seeing as these were going into work, I couldn't bring royal icing for people to decorate with (way too messy!) - so I brought in a rainbow of edible ink markers instead. Everyone had so much fun decorating (and eating!) cookies, and Wooju was totally surprised.

Now, most of these are decorated with inside jokes and other geekiness (I am a software engineer, after all!). But seriously - how awesome are they??

Yes, the bottom left is "good luck" in binary

Front and center, "good luck" in Korean

Wooju, we'll miss you! Wishing you all the best - we can't wait to see you in Time Magazine!

Sugar Cookie Tutorial

These cookies would be super fun for a kids party, and are actually pretty easy to assemble.

Step 1: Bake sugar cookies! I made fairly large and medium sized cookies, 2-4", but you can make any size you want. I liked offering a few different sizes, so that people could really get creative.

Steps 2 & 3: Cover cookies with fondant, and pipe a decorative border with royal icing. You definitely do not have to pipe a border; I did to make the cookies a little bit fancier. You can also add sparkling/sanding sugar, sprinkles, non-pareils, etc to the borders if you like. Let the fondant dry before decorating, preferably overnight.

Step 4: Decorate! I love these Americolor Gourmet Writer Food Decorator Pens. They dry quickly, and write really nicely on fondant.

And that's it! Super simple to put together, with very little clean-up post-decorating.

Spring Macarons and a Ruffle Cake

2011-03-20T15:46:00.000-04:00

We're just a few days away from spring - and it's finally feeling like winter is over here in the northeast (I hope I didn't just jinx it!). I felt inspired this weekend to make some treats in pretty colors.

My first treat - french macarons. The pink macarons are vanilla with vanilla cream filling; the yellow macarons are filled with an amazing marscarpone lemon cream filling. I have to say - these are the best macarons I have made yet. A wonderfully thin shell, soft, slightly chewy interior, and nice feet! They were delicious right out of the oven - and even better after a day in the refrigerator. Yum!

My second treat - a pink ruffle cake. Seems like I've been seeing ruffle cakes everywhere lately, and decided I needed to make one myself! Pretty pink buttercream ruffles adorn a chocolate cake filled with cappuccino cream.

Happy (almost!) spring!

Please help: For Japan With Love

2011-03-17T07:46:00.000-04:00

By now, we've all seen the horrific photos from Japan, and heard gut wrenching stories of pain, tragedy, and suffering. In times like these, many of us so far away feel kind of helpless, and search for ways to get involved.

Through the blogging world, I discovered a way to immediately take action. The amazing bloggers from Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours teamed up to create a fundraising page: For Japan With Love, and picked ShelterBox as the organization to donate to. ShelterBox was one of the first organizations asked to help in Japan, and they need our help in order provide the best disaster relief possible. Please help if you are able - every little bit counts!!

The ShelterBox solution in disaster response is as simple as it is effective.

We deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

This Friday, along with many other bloggers, I will be participating in the "Bloggers Day of Silence" to raise awareness. If you are a blogger, and would like to participate as well, just head over to Utterly Engaged or Ever Ours for the details.

Cupcake Decorating Tutorial

2011-03-13T22:21:00.004-04:00

Have you ever looked into a cupcake display case in a shop, and taken a look at all the gorgeous swirls and artfully placed dollops of icing? Have you ever asked yourself, "I wonder how they do that??". Hold on to your piping bags people - you're about to learn (and it's not as hard as you might think)!

Materials

Piping bags - I prefer to use a larger piping bag (16"+) for icing cupcakes. You won't have to fill the bag as often, and your icing won't be close to the opening of the bag. If you're wondering what happens if you overfill a piping bag and squeeze - icing will ooze out the top of the bag, making it impossible to keep the outside of the bag clean (and therefore, it'll be difficult to hold onto!). I like using reusable fabric bags better than plastic - they are easier to grip, and easier on the environment.
Extra large decorating tips - these are a must! Bake it Pretty, and The Cupcake Social both have nice selections. While you can use large tips from a decorating set, the extra large tips will give you the cupcake shop look.
Icing - use your favorite buttercream/cream cheese/etc recipe. Keep in mind that decorating cupcakes requires a decent amount of buttercream - especially if you like large swirls like I do! My recommendation is to make a little bit more than you think you need to start - once you decorate your first batch, you'll have a better idea about far your frosting will go. A helpful tip: once your icing is whipped up, mix it on the lowest speed possible for about 5 minutes. This will help to get rid of air bubbles in your icing, leaving you with super smooth icing that will help you achieve professional looking swirls!

Technique
Believe it or not, (almost) all of these cupcakes are decorated using the same piping technique! I used the following 4 tips to decorate all of the cupcakes in this tutorial:

The open star tip is a Wilton 1M; the closed star, french, and plain round are extra large tips, and were purchased from The Cupcake Social.

Piping Technique for Extra Large Tips

Place tip inside your piping bag, and fill with icing.
Hold your piping tip approximately 1/4" above your cupcake at a 90° angle. Pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge of your cupcake and working inward and upward. Stop pressure; pull tip straight up and away (complete the entire spiral before stopping pressure and pulling tip away).
That's it! Super simple, right? Remember that practice makes perfect - sometimes I pipe several bad swirls before I get one that I actually like. Keep in mind that you can vary the height of your icing. I like super tall swirls, but you can easily make them shorter by finishing off your swirl after 1 or 2 trips around the cupcake.

Piping Technique for Large Tips

Place tip inside your piping bag, and fill with icing.
Hold your piping tip approximately 1/4" above your cupcake at a 90° angle. Pipe one layer of icing around the entire area of the cupcake, beginning at the outer edge and ending in the middle. Stop pressure, and pull tip away.
Pipe a second, smaller spiral (not quite as wide), on top of your first layer of icing. End your spiral at the center of the cupcake. Stop pressure; pull tip straight up and away.

Here are a few mini cupcakes I decorated using the same tips, and just about the same techniques. The heart sprinkle cupcake was decorated with the french tip, and I piped a single large star. The remaining two cupcakes were decorated with a large plain round tip, and Wilton 1M respectively, using the instructions above for extra large tips.

Decorating Cupcakes
Ok - now that your cupcakes are decorated with beautiful swirls, now what?

There are truly endless possibilities when it comes to decorating! This is where you can really get creative, use your imagination, match party decor - or just let the gorgeous swirls speak for themselves! A few decorating ideas:

Sprinkles, coarse sugars, sanding sugars, quins, nonpareils, sugar pearls: there are TONS of options here, available in pretty much any shape, size, color or holiday theme that you can imagine! A few of my favorite sources: The Cupcake Social, Bake It Pretty, Fancy Flours, Global Sugar Art.
Fondant toppers - remember those days back in elementary school, where you got to make cool things out of clay? Channel your inner grade-schooler and grab some fondant! If you can mold or cut basic shapes - you can make great fondant toppers. I made these super cute owls and modern flowers with just a few circle cutters, some flat-back swarovski crystals, and a little bit of patience :) There is also a pretty nice selection of handmade toppers on etsy.com.
Non-edible toppers - thanks to the cupcake craze, there is an extensive selection of themed decorating sets out there. Take a look at your favorite craft or kitchen specialty store for cute sets. There are also tons of crafty people out there selling handmade items and printables on Etsy. If you're feeling crafty, you can go the DIY route (my favorite, being the arts and crafts lover that I am). Here are a few easy tutorials (that require just a few tools/materials!) that I love: Fabric Flower Cupcake Toppers, Paper Pinwheel Cupcake Toppers, Birthday Cupcake Toppers.

I hope that this was helpful - if you have any questions or comments, please let me know! Now, go make some gorgeous cupcakes! :)

Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

2011-03-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

Inspired by a friend at work, I made these super cute ice cream sundae cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes covered with fondant, with chocolate ganache "fudge", vanilla buttercream "whipped cream", and a perfect fondant cherry on top!

Spring, please get here soon!

2011-03-07T22:14:00.003-05:00

Pretty pink vanilla bean macarons

Thankfully, spring is on the way! Today ended up pretty chilly, but things are looking promising for the week ahead. Just a few pastels and brights to share with you today, to remind all of us who have been cold for several months that we've all almost made it through another winter.

Strawberries & cream bridal shower cake,
with a dinner plate dahlia from my garden!

Bright, happy, and a little bit sparkly -
gerber daisies on top of white velvet cupcakes

A Pretty Little Wedding Cake

2011-03-05T15:44:00.000-05:00

A pretty little wedding cake that I made for one of my sister's friends! The cake is carrot (yum!), and the rose ribbon and flowers match the bride's dress. Best wishes for a lifetime filled with love, laughter and joy to the happy couple!

Wedding Cupcake Tasting

2011-03-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

I made a variety of cupcakes this weekend for a wedding (cup)cake tasting, and another mini cake for my wonderful co-workers!

You'll notice that I used a variety of piping techniques for the buttercream - stay tuned for another tutorial! It's actually surprisingly easy to make really wonderful looking cupcakes with the help of just a few extra large piping tips. A question for all of my readers: what kinds of tutorials would be most helpful to you? Please leave me a comment!

And, a pretty little carrot cake I made for my co-workers (can you tell that I'm loving amenone flowers lately??)

Andrea's Housewarming!

2011-02-24T20:45:00.001-05:00

As promised last weekend - here are some more party details!

My best friend Andrea just moved into an *amazing* new apartment, and of course we had to celebrate! And what better way to do so than with a dessert party?

Andrea has a black, white, and red theme to her decor, so we decided that we would do the same for the dessert table. The sweets included: chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling, chocolate macarons, coconut mini cupcakes, and chocolate and vanilla cake pops, dipped in white and milk chocolate. I added red and white rock candy, and candy sixlets for a little bit of extra flair.

The party was a huge hit, and Andrea- I am so glad that you are so happy in your new home!

Gray and Pink Cupcake Cookies

2011-02-23T18:37:00.001-05:00

Piping is one of the skills I am striving to improve this year. For someone like me who looooovvesss to drink (lots!) of coffee - I can easily down a pot in a morning! - my hands can be on the shaky side. So last night, I put down the caffeinated beverages, and made these pretty gray and pink cupcake cookies to practice.

Some helpful tips to keep in mind when decorating cookies with royal icing:

Set aside plenty of time for decorating/experimenting - it's best to practice your skills when you're not feeling rushed.
When coloring your icing, make sure that it is completely mixed in (unless you are going for a streaky look).
To help avoid problems with bubbles in your flooding icing, let the thinned icing sit (covered with a wet paper towel or saran) for at least 15 minutes. This will allow bubbles to come to the surface, and you can break them up by stirring gently. This is well worth the wait - I am seriously OCD when it comes to bubbles in my icing, and I'll obsessively pop any bubbles that come to the surface of my cookies. I usually try to thin my icing for flooding right after I color it, so it has enough time to sit. Just make sure that you save enough for piping - you can always thin more!
Work with a small amount of icing in your piping bag at a time. It'll be much easier on your hands, and will allow you more control.
Make sure that your piping hand/arm is well supported, and that you are sitting in a comfortable place with plenty of working space.
Make sure that your icing is the right consistency for what you are trying to do. You'll have problems if the icing you are trying to flood with is too thick, just like you'll have problems if the icing you are trying to outline with is too thin.
When piping, hold the tip a few millimeters away from the cookie's surface. Too much - and you risk the "squiggles". Too little - you'll squish your lines.
Give your cookies enough time to dry, preferably over night. You don't want to stack or package them until the icing is dry.
And remember: your cookies did not come out of a factory! We all strive to create things that we're proud of - but please try to remember that you are only human, and your cookies should not look like they were made by a machine. You are creating art - delicious, delicious art!

Party Preview!

2011-02-20T10:47:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Andrea just moved into a new apartment - what better way to celebrate than with lots of sweet treats?

I have a ton of pictures to comb through, but thought I would give you all a quick preview :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

A romantic little cake for Valentine's Day, adorned with a red gumpaste anemone flower. Sorry for the shadows in the first picture, but I just had to show off my new Fenton hobnail stand (I am totally obsessed with it!!)

A sweet way to say "Thank You!"

2011-02-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Winter in the Northeast this year has been rough. We've had at least 1 or 2 significant snowstorms each week for the past several weeks, and at this point, we're only about 30" away from setting a new all-time record. For those of you who haven't seen the Shaq-o-meter - be prepared to laugh, cry, or be thankful that you live somewhere with much less snow!

My mom works in home care, and the nurses she oversees must visit elderly or otherwise ill patients regardless of the weather. She wanted to thank some of her co-workers for really stepping up the past few weeks, and asked me if I would create some snowflake cookies to say "thank you". Iced with royal icing, and decorated with sparkling sugar and sugar pearls, these jewel toned beauties are sure to make anyone's day!

Cake Pops - A Tutorial

2011-02-08T20:54:00.004-05:00

Cake pops are one of my favorite miniature treats. A few bites of cake, coated in chocolate, on a stick - super cute, delicious, and fairly easy to make.

Materials:

Cake: any of your favorite recipes should work - though I will caution you, super oily cakes may be problematic - read, the oil may escape the chocolate/crack the chocolate, etc. I prefer using butter cakes for cake pops, or I'll cut down on the amount of oil in an oil-based recipe.
Buttercream (or cream cheese icing, chocolate ganache, etc): keep in mind that frostings with perishable ingredients will need to be refrigerated. I've never had problems refrigerating cake pops.
Chocolate: I love Chocoley chocolate. It tastes a million times better than candy melts. I use the dipping and enrobing formula for cake pops. Chocoley sells special candy coloring for chocolate as well, so you can get as fancy as you like with colors!
Lollipop sticks
Baking sheet, lined with parchment or a silicone mat
Styrofoam block, or anything with lollipop stick sized holes in it. Be careful not to poke ALL the way through your styrofoam block; you want the stick to be able to stand up right, but not be so deep that the cake is too close to the styrofoam (it'll be really hard to place without disturbing wet chocolate).
A small, deep, microwave-safe bowl. You need to be able to stick a cake pop into the chocolate straight and have it all be covered. Things turn into a mess quickly when you don't have enough chocolate in the bowl, and you need to tip it in order to cover your cake pop.

Steps:

Crumble your cake into uniform crumbs. A food processor can be helpful here, but it's pretty easy to use your hands as well.
Mix in enough frosting so that the cake holds together when squeezed. You should be able to roll a firm ball that holds its shape. I tend to add a different amount of frosting depending on what recipe I use; add slowly and test the consistency frequently.

Refrigerate the cake balls until firm, or place in freezer. A word of caution - you do NOT want to dip frozen cake balls into chocolate! The cake will expand as it defrosts, and it will crack the chocolate coating. Firm is ok - frozen is not. If you are having problems with cracking cake pops - they are likely too cold and/or your chocolate too hot.
Melt a small amount of chocolate, and dip a lollipop stick in about 1/2". Stick at least half-way into cake ball (make sure you don't poke all the way through!). Repeat with remaining cake balls.
Refrigerate until chocolate is firm around the lollipop stick.
Melt chocolate in your microwave safe bowl, according to package instructions. Make sure that you melt enough chocolate so that you can submerge the entire cake pop without tilting the bowl, and without hitting the bottom.
Dip cake pop into chocolate, so that it is completely submerged (make sure to cover the chocolate around the lollipop stick!). It's really important that the entire cake ball is covered with chocolate - otherwise, the cake will escape from any and every tiny hole in the chocolate (trust me, it's not pretty).

Once cake pop is completely covered, lift it out of the chocolate.
Once removed from the chocolate, excess coating will start dripping off of the pop. Hold the cake pop in one hand, and gently tap your hand to help remove excess coating, turning the pop as you go so the excess will come off evenly.

When you have no drips left, hold cake pop upside down for a few seconds to allow coating to dry a bit before inverting. If you are going to dip your pops twice, dip it again now. I do like to dip twice when using the Chocoley dipping and enrobing chocolate. If you are adding sprinkles, sanding sugar, or other decorations, wait until the cake pop is about halfway dry before you start. If the coating is still too wet, the weight of the sprinkles or other decorations may displace the chocolate.
Invert cake pop, and place in your stand to dry completely. Enjoy!!

For some amazing design ideas, visit Bakerella's blog, and check out her fabulous book!

Happy Birthday!

2011-02-07T23:12:00.000-05:00

A pretty little cake I made this past weekend for a friend's surprise birthday party. Happy birthday Carey!!!

Red Velvet Cake Pops

2011-01-31T20:23:00.001-05:00

Chocolates and roses for Valentine's Day are just fine - but red velvet cake pops really get my heart fluttering!

Stay tuned for a tutorial later this week!

Chocolate Macarons

2011-01-23T11:29:00.010-05:00

Chocolate macaron with Bailey's buttercream filling

Like many other bakers - I am obsessed with french macarons. The wonderful flavor combinations, gorgeous colors, the adorable feet - what's not to love? They are admittedly a little bit fussy, but once you figure out a method that works for you, they really aren't that difficult.

I've had the most success using the French meringue method. This method does require a little bit of advance planning (your egg whites need to "age" for at least 12-24 hours), and the shells need to sit for 30-60 minutes before baking - but I've had very consistent results.

A few must-haves:

Kitchen scale: carefully measured out ingredients are a key to success
Food processor: most almond flour isn't finely ground enough; you'll need to pulse it in a food processor (with confectioners sugar, to avoid making nut butter!) in order to get super smooth shells. I like to buy whole blanched almonds and grind them myself (make sure you grind the nuts with confectioners sugar, in order to avoid making nut butter!).
Silpats (or parchment paper): I like using silpats the best - but parchment will work as well
Oven thermometer: you'll want to make sure that your oven is at the right temperature!

Developing a hard shell, waiting for the oven

Just out of the oven - look at those feet!

Cooling (fortunately they don't take long!)

Yum!

Chocolate Macarons with Espresso Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
110 gm blanched almonds (or almond flour)
200 gm minus 2 tbsp. confectioners sugar
2 T cocoa powder
90 gm egg whites (about 3 eggs), aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
25 gm granulated sugar

Pulse almonds, confectioners sugar, and cocoa powder together in food processor, until finely ground.
Whip egg whites on medium speed using an hand mixer until foamy (you can use a stand mixer as well; I prefer a hand mixer here).
Slowly add granulated sugar to the egg whites, and continue beating until a smooth, shiny meringue with stiff peaks forms.
Add the nuts and powdered sugar to the meringue, fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that disappears back into itself after counting to 10 (ie - if you drop a small amount onto a plate, the batter should flatten out in about 10 seconds, with no peak). The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Go slow here - the difference between just a few strokes can be the difference between perfect macarons and a flop!
Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds, spaced about a inch apart. Let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to allow shells to harden.
While shells are hardening, preheat oven to 290 degrees F. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on size (shells should lift easily off the mat when done; if you try to remove one and the top pulls off, bake for a few minutes longer). Let cool completely before assembling.

To assemble:

Match up similarly sized macarons
Pipe filling onto one half of the cookie, and gently press the halves together
Enjoy! The macarons are deeeelish right out of the oven, but even better if you refrigerate them overnight. Try it - it's totally worth the wait!

Espresso chocolate ganache:
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tbsp. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1½ tsp. espresso powder (or instant coffee)

Place chocolate and butter in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine cream, sugar, and espresso powder in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to simmer, remove from heat, and pour over chocolate.
Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth and shiny. Let cool and thicken to a good piping consistency before assembling macarons.

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Angry, angry birds

2011-01-23T10:33:00.007-05:00

It seems that many of my most recent posts start with something to the tune of "so sorry for the lack of posts!". Last year was incredibly busy, and while I made a lot of cakes and cupcakes, I was really terrible at sharing them. All of that is about to change - this is going to be the last time I apologize for being MIA. I have big plans for this year, and a lot to share - stay tuned for lots of sweet treats.

So without further ado - my most recent cupcakes!

If you haven't played Angry Birds yet - you are certainly missing out. It's a super addictive game, in which you slingshot a variety of birds at different structures, trying to destroy evil green pigs that stole your eggs.

The idea for angry birds cupcakes came about back in November, while at a tech conference with two of my friends. Someone posed the question, "Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if we had angry birds cupcakes for our next major release?!" Umm, totally awesome!

The birds were made completely out of fondant, and sat on top of vegan cinnamon smores cupcakes with vanilla buttercream (also vegan!).

Angry birds, in progress

Finished, and looking mighty angry (and the pig, looking terrified)

All together, now

The idea guys, Jeff and Dave

Sarah and Devin's Wedding

2010-06-29T15:32:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of working with another wonderful couple for their wedding this past weekend. The cake was a simple and beautiful 2-tiered white velvet cake, with fresh strawberry filling. Guests had the choice of either white velvet or chocolate cupcakes, both filled with fresh strawberries and cream. The cake and cupcakes were accented with handmade sugar frangiapani flowers. The groom's mother made gorgeous cupcake wrappers, that made the cupcakes look even more elegant and dressed up for the occasion.

It's wedding season!

2010-06-27T10:13:00.004-04:00

Well, wedding season is officially underway, and I have baked and baked and baked and decorated pretty much non stop for the past few weeks!

Here's the first wedding cake - a dramatic 3-tiered coconut cake with raspberry cream filling. The cake was covered in white fondant with ivory striping, and accented with crystals and large black sugar roses.

Over 160 cupcakes accompanied this cake. Guests could choose from lemon cupcakes with tangy lemon curd filling, or chocolate cupcakes filled with a chocolate ganache filled fresh raspberry. Cupcakes were baked in black liners, topped with a buttercream swirl, and rolled in coarse sparkling sugar. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures at the moment, but will post some later on!

I just finished up another wedding last night; I'll post soon with pictures. I also have many cakes and cupcakes to show you from the past several months; stay tuned!

It's a first birthday!

2010-02-24T13:17:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was asked to make cupcakes for a friend's baby's first birthday. I can't believe she's already 1 - time has certainly flown by!

This little girl has a very special blanket/stuffed animal, affectionately called her "lovie". It's a soft pink blanket, with a stuffed animal black dog head in the middle, and a cute doggie tail sticking out from the back of the blanket. Naturally, it made sense to include the lovie on her very special first birthday.

We decided on vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, topped with chocolate and vanilla buttercream, and lovie cupcake toppers. Here are a few pictures from the party:

Happy birthday!!!

Welcome Back!

2010-02-07T07:53:00.003-05:00

It has been a long (long, long, long) time since I last posted! The holiday season seemed to go by incredibly fast this year, and my poor blog has been ignored :( But - I'm back - and I promise to start posting more often! Several people have asked for the template I use for my cupcake wrappers - so stay tuned for a tutorial coming soon!

So now for the sugar! Starting with my annual holiday party. We had tons of desserts - pumpkin and red velvet whoopie pies, chocolate peppermint cupcakes, sugar cookies, and more.

And onto my family's Christmas dessert:

Recently, it's been all about wedding cake tastings. Here are a few pictures from a tasting I hosted yesterday:

Now for a little technology! For my birthday this year - I was the lucky recipient of a machine called the Craft Robo. It's an absolutely fantastic precision cutting plotter - here's an example of what it can do in no time flat:

I'm planning to use it to create some custom stencil sets, and it will definitely make the cupcake wrapper making process a lot easier!

The second device I recently purchased was an edible icing printer system. Stay tuned for a post coming soon to hear all about it, and see what it can do!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:30:00.005-04:00

Readers! Many apologies for the lack of posts lately. I hand surgery a few weeks ago, and am finally able to bake again!

This week, I created some super cute Halloween cupcake toppers, including ghosts, witch hats, and pumpkins. The toppers are made from fondant, and dusted with pearl dust. The ghosts are definitely my favorite :)

A post dedicated to my love :)

2009-09-13T12:06:00.004-04:00

Many great things have happened in my life over the past year of cake decorating - I've made some great baking friends (like Jenni!), and I've gone from making cakes for small family events to making wedding cakes (and cupcakes!) for over 250 people. And I really couldn't have done it without the support from my wonderful boyfriend Devin. Even when I'm losing faith in myself at 1am, still far from being done with a cake - you never do. You are my trusted QA tester. You run out for me to get ingredients that I forgot, and you never fail to keep me as calm as possible while delivering 4-tiered wedding cakes. I can't thank you enough for all of your support - I couldn't be doing this without you!

I woke up this morning all excited to make a special breakfast for Devin. I decided on Joy the Baker's chocolate chip pancakes - and they did not disappoint. The whole recipe makes enough to serve 4 hungry people; thankfully our neighbor's daughter still had a little bit of room after eating her own breakfast to help us a put a dent in the mound of pancakes I made. These pancakes are SO good - I highly encourage you to try them out!

Adapted from Joy the Baker:

2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup, half semi sweet, half white chocolate chips)

Butter or cooking spray (for cooking)

Step 1: In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.

Step 2: Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Step 3: Pour batter onto the griddle (I used 1/3 cup batter per pancake). Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

LIfe is a Beach

2009-09-13T12:00:00.004-04:00

My apologies for the lack of posts lately! Now that my life has calmed down a bit, I hope to be posting much more frequently :)

I made this cake a few weeks ago for a bridal shower. This Tiffany blue beach themed cake was decorated with pearl dusted gum paste shells and a fondant bead border. The bottom tier was yellow cake with chocolate ganache filling, and the top tier was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling. Everyone at the bridal shower absolutely loved the cake, and the bride-t0-be said it was one of her favorite things of the day!

Kim and Brian's Wedding

2009-08-17T08:05:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for my family - my little sister's wedding! It was an *amazing* day, and everything was just perfect. The happy couple is now on their way to spend the week on white sand beaches - those lucky ducks!

The limo:

My gorgeous bouquet:

My gift to the new couple was something sweet - cake, of course! I'm really happy with how everything came out, and how everything held up on such a hot day (it was 90 degrees+, with at least 80% humidity). I made a 4 tier cake, and cupcake centerpieces for all of the tables. My sister wanted to incorporate her favorite flowers - gerbera daisies - into the design for both the cake and cupcakes.

The cake was white velvet cake with fresh cut strawberry filling, draped in fondant. My new brother in law is a Second Lieutenant in the Army, and was VERY excited to cut the cake with his saber (which is why you see a sword in the pics!)!

Cupcakes! White velvet cake with fresh strawberry buttercream filling and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. Daises made out of gumpaste, and dusted with petal dust.

Many thanks to everyone for making this day so amazing. And a BIG thank you to my boyfriend who delivered the cake, set up all of the stands, and orchestrated the set up of all of the cupcakes - without your help, none of this would have been possible! <3

Wedding Success!

2009-08-02T22:28:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I made this cake and over 200 cupcakes for a wedding! The cake was made of 1 real tier (white velvet cake with fresh strawberry and buttercream filling, covered in fondant), with 3 dummy tiers. The cupcakes were the same flavor as the cake :) The bride was thrilled, as were her guests - I even heard that a few people said that it was the best cake they had ever had at a wedding.

View of a table:

Cupcake close up:

Stay tuned for my sister's wedding cake - I can't believe her wedding is just 2 weeks away!

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

2009-06-29T23:46:00.004-04:00

These pretty little cupcakes were made for a bridal shower this past weekend. Sorry for the not so good pictures - I was in a rush! There were several different kinds of cupcakes/fillings, all decorated with either handmade fondant roses and other assorted flowers, or butterflies and sugar pearls.

Surprise!

2009-06-14T23:19:00.007-04:00

This cake was made for my cousin Marla's surprise 30th birthday party. All 3 tiers were chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and coffee buttercream fillings, draped in fondant. Decorated with fresh flowers and ribbon. Happy birthday Marla!

Lambda Chi Alpha Cake

2009-06-07T22:10:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! My boyfriend had my camera, so I could take photos of the last few cakes I made. However, here's one I made this past week for a get together of MIT Lambda Chi Alpha brothers. The MIT ring is gold and features a beaver, the "engineer of the animal world"; hence the beaver topper! The cake itself was chocolate, with coffee buttercream and mocha ganache fillings, covered with fondant.

Front view:

View from the side:

The beaver!

Inspired by Louis Vuitton

2009-05-16T23:55:00.005-04:00

These cupcakes were made for a birthday celebration honoring 3 lucky ladies with May birthdays :)

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache and raspberry fillings, covered with fondant (white - vanilla; brown - dark chocolate) and handpainted. Each birthday girl gets a fondant LV inspired cupcake topper. I was definitely sad to part with these!

LV cupcake toppers, front view:

LV cupcake toppers, rear view:

Multicolored trio:

Brown trio:

Round bag, detail:

Multicolored bag, detail:

Argentina Soccer Cake

2009-05-04T19:36:00.003-04:00

This cake was made for a fan of the Argentinian soccer team.

Banana cake with caramelized banana and caramel chocolate ganache fillings, iced with vanilla buttercream and draped in fondant. Yum! The jersey and all accents were made of fondant.

Blue Cherry Blossom Cake

2009-04-26T08:35:00.003-04:00

This cherry blossom cake was made for a bridal shower this past weekend. The bottom tier was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry fillings, the top tier was lemon cake with lemon curd filling, and all was covered with vanilla buttercream. Decorated with gumpaste flowers and fondant branches.

A princess birthday

2009-04-19T09:27:00.004-04:00

Chocolate cupcakes and princess made for a 4 year olds birthday :)

Cupcakes, with vanilla buttercream, fondant butterflies and flowers.

The princess! Covered with fondant, and decorated with sugar pearls and fondant flowers:

Dress detail:

Amazing cupcake painting ...

2009-04-08T06:59:00.003-04:00

For all you cupcake fans out there ... :)

While delivering the golf cake last night to a friends' house, I noticed this painting:

By Stuart Dunkel

It is absolutely amazing up close - from the detail in the frosting to the sprinkles :) Dunkel has some great "critter" paintings up on his website - the little mice are so cute!

Enjoy everyone!

Golf, in cake form

2009-04-07T21:06:00.008-04:00

I made this cake this week for a 60th birthday celebration, inspired by Cakespace. Banana cake with caramelized banana filling and caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, covered in fondant. All of the decorations are made out of fondant. I really enjoyed working with all of the simple components and small details - from the golf bag to the tees and golf balls :)

View from the top:

Side view:

Another top view:

Green, up close:

Golf bag, up close:

Rose wedding cupcakes

2009-04-01T08:18:00.006-04:00

I hosted another wedding cake tasting this past weekend - red velvet with cream cheese icing, chocolate with raspberry and chocolate ganache filling, and white velvet with strawberry buttercream filling - chocolate and white velvet were iced with Italian meringue buttercream. They were all decorated with fondant roses and other small flowers, and sugar pearls :)

A few pictures ...

I also made a special treat for my co-workers :) Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache filling, iced with Italian meringue buttercream, with fondant flowers:

Baby shower cupcakes

2009-03-27T10:55:00.004-04:00

I made these cute little cupcakes, inspired by Hello Naomi, for a surprise baby shower this past week. They were chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing underneath the fondant circles, and decorated with fondant rainbows, bees, frogs, chicks, caterpillars, rainbows, and clouds.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T17:35:00.003-04:00

Ever since I spied this recipe on Tastespotting - I really, really wanted to give it a try. I figured I'd wait until the appropriate moment to bring booze filled cupcakes to work - Happy St. Patrick's day!

My own rendition of Guinness, Jameson, and Bailey's cupcakes ... were absolutely delicious. Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson chocolate ganache filling, and Bailey's buttercream ... they were divine. If I were to make them again (which I most definitely will) - I might try my hand at making some meringue based Bailey's buttercream, and using half semi-sweet, half bittersweet chocolate for the ganache. I also can't wait for my boyfriend to finish making his mini kegerator - so I can get at some of his vanilla chocolate stout homebrew (which I'm sure would be fantastic in these cupcakes).

Again, my apologies for the lack of posts lately; things have been pretty crazy in my life! Hoping to get back to my regular baking schedule soon :)

Need a cupcake fix ... ?

2009-03-02T10:12:00.002-05:00

... without the calories? Give this a shot:

Frosting flavored cupcake floss

"Turn a boring nightly routine into a party in your mouth with Cupcake Floss! Be careful though, the delicious frosting flavor might turn you into a flossaholic!"

Just a little something amusing for a snowy, icky day. Enjoy everyone!

Hello Kitty!

2009-03-01T17:21:00.006-05:00

Hi All -

So sorry for the lack of posts lately; life has been pretty crazy, and unfortunately there hasn't been much baking going on :(

I did have a chance this weekend to make some cupcakes for a friend's 25th birthday party. She loves Hello Kitty :) My initial ideas all used fondant; but her party was held at a Buddhist Cultural Center that is vegetarian only. So I had to get creative!

I have seen many tutorials on how to decorate cookies using the royal icing flooding technique - so I decided to try my hand at making some Hello Kitty faces using the same technique. I was a bit worried at first that the faces would be too fragile to handle; fortunately I was wrong, and everything held up beautifully.

Hello Kitties, waiting for cupcakes:

Mocha cupcakes with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream icing, close up:

Cupcakes at the party:

The birthday girl!

A weekend of cakes

2009-02-07T21:32:00.005-05:00

It's a crazy weekend of cakes! :)

Wedding cake tasting today. Three cakes were sampled - white velvet cupcakes with strawberry buttercream filling and vanilla buttercream icing, white velvet with raspberry cream filling and vanilla buttercream icing, and chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling, covered with ivory fondant.

Here are a few pictures from this morning ...

Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling, covered with ivory fondant:

White velvet with raspberry pastry cream and vanilla buttercream icing:

White velvet cupcakes with strawberry buttercream filling, vanilla buttercream icing, and gumpaste flowers:

Cupcake Therapy

2009-01-31T17:38:00.005-05:00

After a tough week at work, it was SO great to be able to make some cupcakes for a party at work. One of our project managers is heading overseas to Amsterdam for 6 months, so we had a little surprise party for her. We'll miss you!

Here are a few pictures. Yellow cake cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing and royal icing flowers. Some of the cupcakes had strawberry buttercream filling. I got lazy and didn't keep track of which cupcakes were filled ... it was fun watching people guess at the party. Everyone seemed to really like the strawberry filling - maybe I should have done all of them that way! :)

Back to Baking

2009-01-25T15:48:00.005-05:00

After a few crazy weeks of work and not much baking, I was finally able to devote a few hours to my kitchen this weekend. I'm happy with my "core" recipes - recipes that I LOVE - but I'm always on the lookout for new things to add to my repertoire. Tried a few new things this week:

1. Covering cupcakes in fondant. These came out pretty well for my first try! It's not terribly hard to do. I ran out of time for decorating ... but they're still cute and delicious!

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing and fondant, with fondant flowers:

2. Pastry Cream

Perhaps more so than cake flavors, I really want to expand my offering of cake/cupcake fillings. I saw a recipe for raspberry pastry cream this week, and just had to try it.

The pastry cream itself is really easy to make. You basically add boiling milk to a mixture of egg, cornstarch and sugar, heat until thickened, and then add a bit of butter and vanilla. Once it is chilled, I added some seedless raspberry puree that I made. It is VERY raspberry! Alone, it's a bit on the tart side, but when paired with a sweeter cake, it's absolutely delicious. This white cake is definitely one of my favorites.

Raspberry Cream Cake - White velvet cake with raspberry cream filling and buttercream icing:

I also made some more chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream yesterday:

Wedding Cake Tasting

2009-01-11T15:31:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures from a wedding cake tasting I hosted today! Four cakes were tasted:

Mini cakes (all covered with fondant): White cake with buttercream and strawberries; chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry ganache filling

Cupcakes: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting; red velvet with cream cheese frosting

All were decorated with fondant flowers and butterflies, and sugar pearls.

Many thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, who helped me clean my apartment, assemble, and keep me from stressing too much! He also took these *wonderful* pictures. <3

The final product! Homemade cupcake/mini cake stand, with rose centerpiece:

Cupcakes and roses, up close:

Butterfly cupcake, up close:

Flower cupcake, up close:

Top of chocolate mini cake:

Top of white cake mini cake:

And finally, me with my creation (before everything was devoured!):

Homemade Cupcake Wrappers

2009-01-09T08:40:00.005-05:00

Cupcake Wrapper Tutorial can be found HERE!

Inspired by Nicky from Small Things Iced (I LOVE her gorgeous cupcakes!!), I decided to make my own cupcake wrappers last night. I recently ordered some of the fancy laser cut ones, and while I like them, I can't say that I love them as much as I thought I would. They are pretty, and really make cupcakes look elegant, but they are really expensive for what they are ($1+ just for one!).

I bought a bunch of nice card stock and some scissors that cut fancy edges, and went to work!

I'm still getting used to cutting straight lines with the fancy scissors, but these aren't bad for a first try! They are time consuming to make ... but so worth it. These are closed with a little tab in the back just like the laser cut wrappers.

Birthdays, Christmas, and Cookies

2008-12-26T10:26:00.010-05:00

Whew. It's been a really, really busy week. I've been baking pretty much non-stop since Sunday afternoon. Dog biscuits on Sunday (my dog *loves* them, and I've heard that a few other doggies do too! Who doesn't like peanut butter flavored treats?!), 3 kinds of cookies on Monday, and 8 cakes between Tuesday and now. I am SO ready for a nap! This is going to be a really long post, just to warn everyone!

Starting with the birthday cake that my friend Jenni made for me (thanks SO much Jenni!!!):

The cake was 2 layers of chocolate with a layer of vanilla cake in between, chocolate raspberry ganache filling, chocolate buttercream, and fondant roses and leaves. Yum! Check out her blog, All Things Jenni - she makes some really great cakes, tarts, sushi, etc!

Holiday Cakes:

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing and fondant bow:

Chocolate cake with buttercream icing and fondant bow:

I unfortunately don't have a picture of the cake I made for my family's Christmas dinner, but it was a white cake with chocolate filling and frosting, dusted with confectioner's sugar. It had a really nice texture and flavor.

Birthday Cakes:

Chocolate barbie princess cake, with buttercream frosting, fondant dress, and gum paste flowers:

The following present cakes are for a 1st birthday party for twin girls. The tiered carrot cake is for the adults, and the 2 chocolate cakes for the birthday girls!

2-tiered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and fondant bow and flowers (the lighting is a little off on these 2 ... the frosting isn't quite as yellowy. I need a better place to take pictures!):

Top view:

Side view:

Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and fondant bow and flowers:

Side view:

Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and fondant bow and flowers:

Side view:

Fondant flowers drying:

Bow loops drying:

Cookies
A small break from cakes! I sent a bunch of these to California with my boyfriend. I hear they are pretty delicious :)

Chocolate espresso snowcaps, ready for the oven:

Chocolate espresso snowcaps, ready to eat!

Snickerdoodles:

Chocolate chip cookies, ready for the oven:

Chocolate chip cookies, ready to eat!

My kitchen is finally starting to look "normal" again ... The amount of powdered sugar, butter, chocolate, and many other ingredients that I have gone through this week is simply astounding. I even tried my hand at making my own fondant, which was surprisingly not all that hard. Takes some practice to get the consistency right I think (mine was a little bit on the dry side), but it'll be really nice to be able to make chocolate fondant and other yummy flavors.

On a sad note, my trusty Cuisinart handmixer died this week. I was making buttercream in a metal bowl, and pushed down a little too hard - one of the beaters jammed against the bottom of the bowl. So sad. So, I've been using my Kitchenaid much more this week. I am learning what speed to beat/mix/etc - it's taking a little time. Might be just about time to invest in a second mixer bowl, and a grater attachment (let me tell you...hand grating 6 cups of carrots with the little teeny holes of my grater isn't exactly easy!).

After a nap this afternoon, I'm going to plan what's next. I just can't seem to leave my oven off for too long ... :)

Make way for ducklings ...

2008-12-20T14:44:00.003-05:00

Lots of 1st birthdays lately! This week I got a request for a duckie themed cake and cupcakes. I'm really, really happy with with way things turned out.

Chocolate cake with chocolate filling, buttercream frosting, and fondant decorations (bow, dots, bubbles), and a real rubber duckie:

Side view:

Warning: the following content is extremely cute!

I haven't done cupcakes for a while - but after these cute little things, I think I'll be making them more often! I'm really happy with how they came out, particularly the fondant ducks. They weren't even that hard to make! The first time I looked at them all together, I think I giggled almost non stop for about 10 minutes...they're just that hilariously cute.

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting and fondant ducks:

Duck close up, front view:

Duck close up, side view:

Ready to go, in a cute cupcake box :)

Impossible is nothing

2008-12-19T12:24:00.002-05:00

So, I'm working on a project for a certain company at work, and I thought it would be fun to make a branded cake for the team to celebrate the last day we'd all be together at work before today's snowstorm/the holidays. And I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the result!

It was a red velvet cake with buttercream frosting and fondant logo. And it went *fast* at work. All I had to do was stand in the hallway with the remaining 6 slices of cake after my team had some, and all of a sudden it was gone!

Oh and by the way ... the performance and style logos are next!

I really do need to find some smaller cutting implements. My gum paste tools aren't quite sharp enough for the precision that this required ... so I opted for a small paring knife. A little bit scary. As soon as the holiday shopping madness calms down - I'm going to have to go in search of some new cutting implements!

Working from home today, waiting for the snow. I have a cake and cupcakes to make for a 1st birthday party this weekend; what better way to spend a snowy night than to make fondant duck cupcake toppers? :)

Holiday Dessert Party 2008

2008-12-17T21:49:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday I hosted my 2nd annual holiday dessert party. 25 people, 8 bottles of champagne, 6 bottles of perrier, 3 cakes, 2 plates of cookies, and 2 baked bries later - I think I'd call the party a success! I feel very fortunate to be able to have this party - to have the space, and wonderful friends and family to celebrate the season with!

Just a few pictures from the party ...

Red velvet with buttercream frosting and a fondant holly wreath:

Flourless chocolate:

Congo bars, made by my sister Kim:

Sugar cookies, also by Kim:

Flowers and Elmos and Monkeys - Oh My!

2008-12-13T13:59:00.001-05:00

I had the pleasure of creating 3 birthday cakes this weekend. I must say, that December birthdays are absolutely the best (mine is in a week!).

Red velvet with buttercream frosting and gum paste flowers:

Elmo! He's chocolate, with buttercream icing. (Yes, even the eyes, mouth, and nose):

White cake with chocolate filling and buttercream frosting. The palm trees, bananas, and monkey are fondant:

Today is another big baking day; stay tuned for some more holiday cakes :)

Red Velvet, if you please

2008-12-10T07:59:00.000-05:00

I've never really understood the mystique of red velvet cake. What flavor is it? And how can you justify using an entire bottle of red food coloring in a cake?!

I'm trying to expand my repertoire of cakes recipes that I love, and after getting a request for a pink birthday cake, I decided to give this recipe a try (aren't her pictures gorgeous?!).

I halved the recipe to make a 6" cake, and the result was absolutely beautiful; deep red, light, fluffy and moist - perfection!

I unfortunately don't have pictures of the finished product, but I frosted it with cream cheese icing and decorated with royal icing poinsettias. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

A few of my favorites

2008-12-08T17:54:00.002-05:00

Just a sampling of cakes that I've made over the past few months ...

Chocolate with dark chocolate filling and buttercream frosting. Fondant holly wreath:

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:

2-tiered carrot cake with royal icing drop flowers, top view:

Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting:

Carrot with cream cheese frosting and royal icing poinsettias:

White cake with chocolate ganache filling and buttercream icing; royal icing poinsettias:

Chocolate cake with buttercream filling and fondant:

Software Engineer by day, Baker by night

2008-12-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

My name is Kristen, and I have always loved to cook.

I remember being in kitchen with my dad at a young age, trying to learn as much as possible, and hoping that I would be the recipient of the much coveted "chef's sample" - a sliver of smoked chicken, a big spoonful of tomato or bbq sauce, the first taste of grilled veggies fresh off the grill.

So while I definitely have an appreciation for meat smoking / tomato sauce making / etc, my main love is baking. Most recently, cakes!

I try to eat gluten-free as much as possible, though I have a tough time resisting nibbling on cake tops, particularly when trying a new recipe. Admittedly, this happens quite often in my kitchen.

A few interesting facts about me:

I'm a former bodybuilder (yep, I competed 3 times!), but my latest addiction is flying trapeze lessons TSNY Boston.
I usually have approximately 5 dozen eggs in my fridge.
Most days, I could eat sushi for every meal. I'm trying to learn to like sea urchin - but it's looking like it might be a while before I can actually say that I "like" it.