Coffee Mug Cupcakes

The weekend before I left Streator, the Chalkey's (my aunt and uncle) had a family party. Baking ingredients in our house were sparse, considering we were all packing up at that time, but I couldn't show up without cupcakes. I wasn't about to be that person who blogs about all the cupcakes I'm making and not bring any for my family.

In the pantry, I had a box of cake mix, a can of frosting and a bag of Milano Pirouette cookies left over from my birthday cake. My creation was obvious: 

Coffee mug cupcakes! I had to go the easy way out and use a box cake mix and canned frosting, but I could still dress the cupcakes up and make them cute. The coffee mug costume is an easy way to disguise a simple cupcake. Stick part of the pirouette cookie on top of white frosting and crush part of the cookie on top. Cream and cinnamon to the imaginative eye.

Of course these would be much more darling in a little tea cup, but any of those I had were packed away. But I have the little saucer plate!

I would have liked to try a coffee-inspired recipe since these look like coffee mugs, but I wanted to use up the things we had. My challenge for this week will be to come up with a coffee cupcake recipe. I just got the Folger's mocha-flavored coffee and it is delicious! Be ready for some mocha cupcakes later this week. 

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Granola Frosting

It is my last week at both jobs, The Times and Teke's, and what kind of person would I be if I didn't bring in cupcakes? Not a memorable one.

At the half marathon this past weekend, I took advantage of all the free food they give the runners at the finish line. Most runners used the bananas and granola for recovery fuel. I of course was thinking about how I could use them in my cupcakes. After 13.1 miles of running, all that I'm thinking about is cupcakes.

I was feeling especially banana-ish, since I ate bananas every day in my training for the race. So I found a great recipe on The Cupcake Project for Banana Cupcakes with a Vanilla Cinnamon Cream Cheese Granola Frosting. Perfect!

The recipe itself is very easy and doesn't take much time to whip up. The smell of banana cupcakes baking in my kitchen takes me back to kindergarten when I learned how to make banana bread. Along with chocolate chip cookies, isn't banana bread one of the best smells of the kitchen? I just love it. The little cupcakes crack at the top and you can see the banana, just like banana bread. These would have tasted great plain, without frosting, if you love banana bread.

 

But, frosting makes everything better. I have a few tweaks I would suggest on this frosting recipe however. My cream cheese frosting was very runny and gooped over my cupcakes, making them very messy. I would suggest doubling the butter, and maybe use half the amount of cream cheese. It will still have the cream cheese taste, but should be thicker and less runny.

The frosting tastes incredible. It calls for ground up granola, in which I used a Bare Naked fruit and nut granola sampling pack they gave us at the race. (Refueling with cupcakes should not be frowned upon.) You can use any kind of granola you like, even cereal if that works better for you. As long as there is a crunch in the frosting.

I topped my cupcakes with some granola, too. That gives them the healthy illusion.



The cupcake has received rave reviews from my co-workers at The Times. Hopefully they impress the Teke's crew just as much.

Banana Cupcakes (from www.cupcakeproject.com)

Yield: 18 cupcakes

• 1 stick butter
• 1c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2c. sour cream
• 1t. baking soda
• 2c. flour
• 1t. vanilla
• 2 bananas

Vanilla Cinnamon Cream Cheese Granola Frosting

• 1 8oz. package cream cheese, room temp. (use only half for less runny frosting)
• 1/4c. butter, room temp (double for less runny frosting!)
• 4c. powdered sugar
• 2t. vanilla
• 2T. cinnamon
• 2c. ground granola

Cupcake Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs.
3. Add sour cream, flour and baking soda.
4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting Instructions:

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until fully integrated. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon. Add powdered sugar 1/2c. at a time. Make sure it is fully mixed in, but do not overmix. Fold in granola.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

No baking for me today. I'm home sick with all kinds of stomach problems, which couldn't come at a worse time. On Sunday, I am running my first half marathon! Even better, it's the Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. There are bands performing at every mile and a concert after the finish line. It sounds really cool.

No cupcakes or sweets of any kind today (worst day ever), just rice and applesauce. I'm doing whatever it takes hoping this will pass in 24 hours. I'll be devastated if all of this training was for nothing.

I tend to get stomach pains when I'm anxious or stressed, so I'm not really surprised this happened with all of the anxiety of the race coming up. (Although it could be some bad Subway I had last night...)

To try and soothe my anxiety, I'm thinking past the race and on to the best cupcake bakery in Chicago: Sprinkles Cupcakes. Cupcake lovers, whenever you're in Chicago, Sprinkles Cupcakes is a must. I'm hoping to make a stop after we conquer this race.

www.sprinkles.com

 

Sprinkles Cupcakes was the world's first cupcake bakery, opened by Candace Nelson in Beverly Hills in 2005. Candace Nelson is a judge on Cupcake Wars. I got to go to the bakery in Chicago a few months ago and fell in love!

This is why...

Yes, that's exactly what it looks like: a cupcake vending machine! Well, they call it a Cupcake ATM. You pick which cupcake flavor you want, swipe your credit card, and your beautiful cupcake comes out in a box with a fork, which, along with all of their packaging, are made with recycled materials.


www.sprinkles.com

The bakery itself is a cute little shop with a beautiful display of flavors to choose from and a cupcake bar (my kind of bar!). Sprinkles also sells their cupcake mix at the shop. I wanted to get a box, but the line was pretty long and I had my ATM cupcake in my hand, waiting to be eaten.

I chose a classic flavor, vanilla milk chocolate, mainly because I didn't want to keep the line waiting and it was the first choice. It was incredible. The frosting was rich and creamy, while the cake was moist and delicious. Although it comes out of a machine, it tastes just as fresh. The vending machine was what really made the experience unique, and I highly recommend it.

They top their cupcakes with colored dots to mark the flavors.



thechicbrulee.com

A cupcake from Sprinkles will be the reward I look forward to after the race. I'm thinking either the chocolate coconut or red velvet.

For now, I'm going to focus on that cupcake rather than the thirteen miles I will run before the cupcake. I would think that cupcakes dancing around in my head can lower anxiety.

Readers, any tips for lowering anxiety?


Happy cupcake thoughts!

A healthier cupcake

When I'm not baking cupcakes, or doing my real job, I'm out on the road running. Yes, running, uggghh.

I've been training for a few months for the Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, which I'm running with my boyfriend and another friend on Sunday, July 21st (yikes, less than two weeks away!).

When I tell people about my training or they see me running, the common response is: "So that's why you can eat all those cupcakes."

Yes and no. Well, mostly yes, but really, no.

I'm certainly taking advantage of these extra burnt calories by testing my cupcakes, but I've been trying to eat healthier so I don't feel a container of frosting sloshing around in my tummy while I'm running.

Thus, the Healthy Cupcake.

Okay, you might be thinking, "Hey, this is a muffin!" Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top. It's a healthier frosting, which makes it a cupcake, a Healthy Cupcake.

I first came across this recipe for "Yum Yum Brownie Muffins" when I fell in love with Hungry Girl in college. However, the recipe I use might actually be original because I misread her recipe.

It's simple. Mix together a box of low-fat brownie mix and canned pure pumpkin. Yes, pumpkin. And that's it! Fill 12 muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. (Hungry Girl uses a devil's food cake mix instead of low-fat brownie, which is just as awesome.)

 

Now, you're thinking pumpkin in your chocolate cupcake is scary. I understand, but trust me, these are delicious. They do not have a pumpkin flavor, the pumpkin just makes them more creamy and fantastic. I tested these on my college roommates back in the day, and those picky chicks loved them. Of course, I didn't tell them about the pumpkin until after.

Hungry Girl is all about making treats that we love to indulge in, such as cupcakes, low fat and low calorie while still tasting delicious. She has quite a few cookbooks out there, including her latest "200 Under 200: Just Desserts," with plenty of cupcake, brownie and cookie recipes.

I love what Hungry Girl is doing, but my philosophy is that if I'm going to have a cupcake, I'm going to have a real, sugar- and butter-loaded cupcake. But it's all about moderation. I can eat these pumpkin cupcakes more often because they're only about 180 calories and 3.5 grams if fat. And these are so good that my extra-sweet tooth is fully satisfied after one.

Why bake with pumpkin?

According to Hungry Girl...

• It eliminates the need for common fattening ingredients.
• Low in calories, high in fiber.
• Pure pumpkin doesn't have any added salt, sugar, or flavorings, which is why you'll only taste the rich chocolate flavor.

www.hungry-girl.com

Fourth of July cupcake ideas

What a fun holiday for baking! Red, white, and blue. Fireworks. Sparklers. Flags. There are so many possibilities, it's hard for me to limit myself. I'm working on my cupcakes tonight and looking for ideas to get the creative juices going. Here are some of my favorites I have found online:


Instant childhood flashback!

fontgirl.wordpress.com

These are some fun patriotic cupcakes



www.squidoo.com

                      

Cupcake snow cones?!?!?!?! I don't know if I can pass these up.

www.bakerella.com

This is what I made last year in my amateur baking days:








That was a fun cake. It was a big hit at the restaurant I was working at. I made the firework by taking a paint brush and dipping it in gel food coloring, then doodling until a firework appeared.

This year I'm feeling some tie-dyed red, white and blue cupcakes. How to decorate them, I'm still unsure. Perhaps I'll try one of each of those ideas. Any recommendations?

What are you baking for the Fourth? Tell me in a comment below.

Recipe review: Blue Moon cupcakes

Hot days call for cold beer, and cupcakes.

I tried this recipe for a friend's haluski cook-off. Since I have no business cooking, my job was to bring dessert. My friend was pretty proud of the Blue Moon keg he was getting for the party, so I thought it would be best to follow theme. Sure enough, there was a recipe on Pinterest for these citrus-y cupcakes.

This cupcake falls in my top five, it is that good. Not only is the cake fluffy and moist with just enough hint of orange, but the frosting is freaking out-of-this-world delicious. It's a cream cheese frosting, which contains a little bit of the booze and orange zest. This is a must try!

Don't forget to add a quarter-slice of an orange for decoration. They're more intriguing that way and everyone will want to try them.

Warning: Make these once and you WILL be asked to make them again and again.

Blue Moon Cupcakes

recipe from spoonforkbacon.com

Makes 12
 
 Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 oraange, zested (plus more for garnish)
2/3 cup Blue Moon beer
2 tablespoons whole milk

Orange cream cheese frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 12  cupcake liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
 Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream butter for 1 minute. Add sugar and cream together with butter for about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. 
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition.
5. Add vanilla and orange zest and mix until just combined.
6. In a mixing bowl whisk together beer and milk. Alternatively add beer mixture and flour mixture to butter mixture until fully incorporated.
7. Fill cupcake liners 1/2-2/3 full.
8. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
 Transfer cupcakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
9. For frosting: In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. With motor running add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until all sugar has been added, scraping down sides of the bowl after each cup of sugar. Stir in the orange juice until fully incorporated.
10. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes or spread with an offset spatula and top with fresh orange zest. Serve.

Cupcakes, cookies and a cure: an irresistable fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who supported my bake sale Saturday. Because of your cupcake consumption and generous donations, I was able to raise $260 toward the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk I'll be participating in later this summer! I only have about $150 more to raise, and I'm confident I'll get there.

Bake sales are hard work, but they are a hoot of fun! What was really nice for me was that I used to work at Walgreens, where we held the bake sale. It was nice to have every customer come up to me with a smile rather than with a return item, a pocket full of coupons and a grumpy attitude.  When people walk in the door and see a table full of baked goods and pink posters, they're automatically happy. That's a fact.

Who wouldn't smile at the sight of all this?

7 Steps to a Successful Bake Sale (from cozi.com)

•  Gather a team.

  I wouldn't have survived this bake sale without some help. I asked my friend Kayla a month ahead of time if she would bake a couple things, but she also volunteered to help sell with me. She helped set up, take down, and price and wrap items. Sometimes I forget how important she is to my level of calmness. Without her, I'd be lost in my own little fairy land. She brings me back to reality when I need it. Her mom was also a big help, making a cute little cake that captured what the whole fundraiser was about. I also had volunteer baking from my friend Abby and a worker at Walgreen's who heard about the sale. And of course, my momma, who drank wine with me while I baked. Let people help you. You'll realize how much you need them.
• 
  

  

  Thank you to my awesome team of helpers

• Choose the best spot: Walgreens on a Saturday is poppin. We nearly sold out after 2 1/2 hours!

• Get the word out: Tell EVERYBODY about your bake sale. Post photos on Facebook and advertise. One girl I know came promptly at 11 am for two cupcakes and no need to even be at Walgreens. How exciting!

• Start baking! Cookies were a hot item at our bake sale. We also had brownies, banana bread, banana muffins, cupcakes of all kinds, pineapple upside down cake, puppy chow, and a cake!
• Boost sales with bonus items: Momma had breast cancer ribbon tattoos and pink beads for little kids. Buy a cookie and get a tattoo! Kids fell for it.
• Pay attention to presentation: Make sure you have a way to package everything. Extra sacks will help for people who want a ton of your yummy baked goods. Have cool posters that dress your table up, too.
• Be prepared! Make sure you have a cash box with plenty of change, a folding table, napkins, paper plates, price tags, posters, serving utensils, and anything else you might need. And don't forget your smile!

Most importantly, remember why you're doing it. You can't help but feel good about all that hard work work when it's going to something that will help others. Being in a small town, we knew just about everyone who came by. But a couple customers who I didn't know saw our table, came by and said they had lost someone to breast cancer. They said they'd be a fool not to support the cause.

Life isn't always as good as cupcakes and cookies, but when you can eat one knowing it's for a cure to end breast cancer, they taste even better.

Keep calm and sell cupcakes.

Check back tomorrow for more on these fun breast cancer ribbon sugar cookies.

Recipe Review: Neopolitan cupcakes

Tomorrow is the first day of summer! Which means it is the perfect time to be adding ice cream to our cupcakes.

There is one dish I might love more than the sacred cupcake, and that, as many know, is ice cream. In my ideal version of life, I would have ice cream after every meal. Or as every meal. Unfortunately my hips don't agree with that lifestyle, so I usually stick with one small bowl after dinner.

If I'm going to really indulge, I go for this two-for-one dessert: Neopolitan cupcakes. You have the idea of ice cream stuffed into a delicious little cake, and actual ice cream mixed in the frosting. It's the best of both sugary worlds! You also get three delicious flavors, vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, to make a colorful and yummy cupcake.

If you're looking to wow people but can't put in the extra time and effort of making something from scratch, this recipe is the winner. Just separate your white cake batter into three bowls and add strawberry preserves to one and cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips to the other. It takes a little monotonous time spooning each layer into each cupcake tin, but it's nothing that can really be screwed up. (Catch up on your TV shows while doing this.) It just looks so pretty that it's worth the extra time. 

And if you really don't have the time, that's what I'm here for!

 

 

 

It's fun to bite into this cupcake and get three classic flavors. The frosting recipe here is whipped and sweet. In hindsight, I wish I would have used real ice cream instead of whipping cream. I have way too much whipping cream at my house, (don't ask why,) that I'm trying to use up. It tastes creamy and pairs well with these cupcakes, but using ice cream certainly intrigues me. Challenge for next time.

Happy birthday, Maddie!

Kyle's sister Maddie turns eleven today!

Do you remember what eleven was like? I will always remember it as the worst birthday I ever had. It was the summer between grade school and junior high, as Maddie's is now, and there were girls and there was drama. It didn't end well.

I don't think Maddie will have those problems this birthday, but just in case, I made sure she has plenty of cupcakes to make it through anything.







 I asked Maddie what her favorite cupcakes were last week on my birthday. However, I had accidentally consumed alcoholic beverages before this conversation (don't judge, it was my birthday) and didn't quite remember what her answer was. At the last minute, I remembered "CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!"



 Maddie is girly, but not to the extreme like I am. So I balanced a little girlyness with coolness.


If I had known when I was eleven that cupcakes would get me through life, I wouldn't have asked for a Dairy Queen birthday cake.

 

I'm so glad she has a sweet tooth like me. Happy birthday, Maddie!

Impress Dad with these cupcake-inspired Father's Day treats

My dad doesn't give a crap about cupcakes. Breaks my heart. But for those of you whose dads appreciate cupcakes and all of their joy, here are a couple ideas to wow him this Father's Day.


http://www.bakerella.com/happy-meals-cupcake-replay/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Bakerella+%28Bakerella%29

 

I really want to try this one, but there's just no point. Daddy would rather have his cupcakes in beer form. Perhaps he'd like something like this:

Father’s Day Cupcake Bouquet (There’s Beer in the Cupcakes!)

Read more at http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2013/06/fathers-day-cupcake-bouquet-theres-beer-in-the-cupcakes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CupcakeProject+%28Cupcake+Project%29#zTLPMLa2SCSKGfgQ.99

 But even that would be pushing it. Tom Chalkey would rather have something like this:





Or perhaps even a good book:


 


I guess I'll have a beer with Dad on Father's Day, and make pink girly cupcakes for myself.

Cupcake Photo of the Week

It's too bad I don't share cupcakes.

Half the cupcakes, twice the chaos

Before I get too far into this story, let me just say that the finished cupcakes for my second baby shower order turned out wonderfully. The client was very pleased, as was I, with the finished product.



However, the journey to these beauties was not all sprinkles and smiles. Having baked one hundred cupcakes the week before with no problems, forty-eight sounded like a breeze. Every once in a while, people have days where nothing goes right.

I have those days often.

It was my birthday, and I was giddy to have the day off and spend it doing what I love most: baking. I also thought I could make my own birthday cake in the same day. Wrong. I had plenty offers for birthday cakes, but no, I demanded that I make my own since I've been so into baking this year.

Why it was not my day

• I still can't count, therefore don't know how many times to multiply an ingredient to get 48 cupcakes. I should probably consult a mathematician before my next large order, or gain some common sense.
• For whatever reason, one batch of cupcakes exploded in the oven. Had to make another batch.
• Mess. Messy. Messier.
• After filling a dozen cupcake tins with batter, I realized I forgot an ingredient. Had to transfer all the batter back into the bowl, mix in the milk, and pour it back into the tins. Mess.
• The second batch of frosting had a vast difference in consistency than the first. Still don't know why.
• I waited too long to start drinking wine.
• I broke at least six decorating bags. One after another. I may have cursed a time or two.
• My birthday cake tasted like cornbread. Not intentional.
• My birthday cake did not want to come out of its pan in one flat piece.

Lessons learned

I would never have made it through the day without my friend Kayla. She ordered me lunch when I forgot about eating. She handled the birthday cake disasters, (the cornbread taste went away with all the frosting she caked on it). She mixed the perfect tiffany blue color for the baby shower cupcakes. Her very presence kept me from freaking out. And the best part, she worked so hard on salvaging my cake because she knew I wasn't giving up on that Cinderella cake, the whole time knowing she had already made me cupcakes for what would be my surprise party later that night. Talk about a great friend.

Sometimes, the best memories are made in the kitchen.

With Kayla's help, I was able to make my Cinderella glass slipper birthday cake! Check back tomorrow for tips on making this cake.

 

Read my 24 years of cake post for more fun birthday cakes, and tell me about yours!

 

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Cupcake, Blue Cupcake

This past weekend, I had my first big cupcake order: 100 Dr. Seuss themed cupcakes for Sam Petersen's baby shower. Having never made such an abundance of cupcakes, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But let me tell you what I learned.

20 Guidelines for baking lots of cupcakes in one night

1. Have your recipes decided a week ahead of time. No changing your mind. Ever.
2. Buy ingredients prior to the day of making the cupcakes. You don't need the added stress of WalMart on this day.
3. When buying ingredients, purchase a bottle of wine. This is a must.
4. Make no plans on this day. Make sure you have 6 hours set aside, and nowhere you need to be at a certain time.
5. Charge your iPad, Kindle Fire, or computer the night before. You will need this for either Netflix or Pandora while you are baking.
6. Don't underestimate. Make sure you have plenty of ingredients, too much is not a bad thing. (Running out to the grocery store while my mixer was going and a batch was in the oven was not ideal.)
7. Don't assume you have a certain color of cupcake liners.
8. Learn to add and multiply. Again, extremely important. If you have 12 cupcakes in one pan, and one batch makes 24 cupcakes, how many times do you need to multiply the recipe? I still don't know, and I have to confess that I somehow ended up with only 99 cupcakes.
9. Take your butter out of the fridge a couple hours ahead of time.
10. Put your wine in the fridge a couple hours ahead of time.
11. Call a friend or parent to sit and have a drink of said wine while you bake. It is likely that they will either help you or they will get drunk and entertain you. Either way, you're not giving up social time to bake. And it's fun.
12. Order a pizza one hour in. You will be happy you did so.
13. Don't let the dog get too much of the powdered sugar that falls on the floor.
14. Pour yourself a glass of wine an hour after the pizza is finished. This will help you to the home stretch.
15. MAKE TOO MUCH FROSTING. Running out with four cupcakes to go is enough reason for another glass of wine.
16. Clean up as you go. Duh.
17. Don't get frustrated with yourself. That's why you have the wine.
18. Move gracefully with a finished cupcake.
19. Don't bake barefoot for 6 hours. Your feet will be pissed in the morning.
20. Once all boxes are sealed with perfect cupcakes, clean everything. Finish your wine. And if you didn't make yourself an extra cupcake because you still can't multiply, fix yourself a bowl of ice cream. You deserve your share of sugar, too.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

While baking 100 cupcakes sounds like a stressful challenge, it was the most enjoyable part of my week. I got to play with sugar, use my creative side, and catch up on The Office. At the same time, I got my mom drunk. Luckily, she finished making the Thing 1 and Thing 2 circles before the wine kicked in too much.

The cupcakes, I'm glad to say, were quite a hit. But the Seuss shower in general was the coolest baby shower I've ever been to. The Sheedy's were so creative. I was happy to be a part of it.

What are some other creative baby shower themes you have seen? Did they have themed cupcakes to? Tell me all about it!

Mom did a good job on the circles. She also did a good job on the wine.

Horton Hears a Who

Green Eggs and Ham anyone? Or Grinch. Two stories in one.

The Cat in the Hat