Cupcake Fever

These last few months I have not baked cupcakes!  I had ended up keeping the cupcakes in the house and quickly became a part of my diet. One bakery-made cupcake is, on average, over 500 calories.  The excessive calories took a toll on my body....

BUT...

I've once more been pulled into the cupcake fad. Cupcake Wars and the Hy-Vee bakers make me want to create the perfect cupcakes! I know, of course, after my failed attempt tonight that baking is not a simple feat. If only I had more of an idea of where to start...

A Cupcake Date :)

Laurel and I decided to bake cupcakes all afternoon! We made red velvet cake from the box and created our own puppy chow recipe. With a delicious peanut butter and chocolate cupcake and Chex crumbles and powdered sugar, the mixture creates a mouth-watering combination.

As our first attempt at making puppy chow cupcakes, the final product was a success. If I was to critique the recipes, I would like to see more of a consistent mixture of peanut butter and chocolate. The peanut butter is the best ingredient in the batter, but too much of the peanut butter is overbearing and causes great thirst. My goal is to create delicious cupcakes without the 'too rich' affect.


We baked the red velvet recipe I purchased on sale from HyVee; neither of us have tried this particular cake and wanted to give it a shot. The brown mixture turned a deep red as the water, oil, and eggs were whisked in.

I loved how Laurel used a small measuring cup to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. Using a spoon or pouring the batter from the bowl is difficult and messy. Each time I bake cupcakes, I learn little tricks to make my baking more efficient!

The cupcakes turned into mounds of bright red, and the contrast between the red tops and black liners were flashy! The neon pink, orange, and blue fondant just added another degree of creativity.

Also!


Thanks to my mom, I now have a way to transport my cupcakes :)

Fiddling with Fondant and Frosting

Using a chocolate cupcake recipe, buttercream frosting, and Duff Goldman's fondant, I created my first buttercream rose and fondant decors. I was getting frustrated with the store-bought frosting because the consistency was very liquefied. Each time I tried to create the rose, the petals kept sliding into one another. Once I searched the internet for 'how to' videos, I came across TheCakeEccentric, a young woman demonstrating how to pipe a rose with frosting. She recommended sifting confectioner's sugar into the frosting to stiffen the mixture. I believe I could have mixed more confectioner's sugar into the pink frosting for the rose. The petals still had a softened image, but the leaves around the rose are stable and pointed at the tips. When mixing the confectioner's sugar into the green frosting, I waited until the frosting felt thicker as I was stirring it.

As I washed off the small spatula I used to spread the buttercream frosting on the cupcakes, I unfortunately sliced my thumb in two places with the serrated side of the spatula.

No worries, I worked through the pain! The anticipation of using fondant for the first time was too much to stop....so I used my new rolling pin and smoothed the Duff's pink fondant into a flat pancake and cut cute little leaves, pumpkins, apples, and acorns out with cookie cutters from Michaels.

The green and pink colors aren't quite festive, but I couldn't help buying the vibrant colors! The cupcakes went over well with my boyfriend and two of my close friends. All three of the guys said the chocolate cupcakes were better than the vanilla cupcakes. When baking the batter in the oven I made sure to rotate the cupcake tray ten minutes into the baking time and double-checked them after the fifteen minute mark. The cupcake was moist and warm and the buttercream, of course, was delicious. The fondant's flavor, however, I was not impressed with; it tasted of oil and sugar and left a bad aftertaste.

I would love to try making my own fondant, but I'm unsure of where to go to find liquid glucose or what flavors to make my homemade fondant?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!

An Evening with Buddy Valastro: The Cake Boss

On November 18, Buddy Valastro from TLC's 'Cake Boss' will be hosting a show at the Peoria Civic Center. One of the most innovative cake artists of our time, Valastro is touring the United States in order to share his successful cake techniques. A detailed demonstration of cake decorating will take place, and several audience members will be able to participate in a friendly, decorating competition. If I'm lucky, I'll be chosen and be able to improve my skills!

Sweet Dreams

Hands deep in cupcake batter most nights, I drift off to bed thinking about new and improved recipes and decorations. The night before last, I woke up in a state of confusion as I was standing beside the bed. Looking down on my boyfriend, I realized he was hysterically laughing. Lee told me, as he was gasping for breath, that I jumped out of bed and was frantically searching. Going along with my sleep talk, he asked what I was looking for? Cupcake batter. I said I needed to find my cupcake batter! Cupcakes even found their way into my dreams!

Aha! This little guy must have stolen my cupcake batter!

'Easy' Vanilla Cupcakes

Excited about my cupcake excursion, I went out to HyVee to purchase my baking kit for beginners. I didn't know how expensive this new hobby would be, but I dove right in and filled my cupboards with supplies!

I found a simple vanilla cupcake recipe online and decided to make a batch for my boyfriend. The recipe called for shortening, reminding me of my grandma. After measuring out my dry ingredients, I realized I didn't have enough all-purpose flour and substituted a 1/4 of a cup of self-raising flour. Self Raising flour and all-purpose flour can both be used for cupcakes, but be aware that self-raising flour already contains baking powder and salt. Make sure you omit the salt and baking powder if you replace all-purpose flour for self-raising! Unaware of the differences in the flours, I mixed the remaining ingredients into the bowl and poured the batter into the cupcake liners.

At this point in my experiment, I became a little frustrated. Each time I drizzled the batter into my cute, yellow, polk-a-dotted liners, they would fold inwards creating a disfigured shape. Perhaps I was pouring the batter into the liners too fast, or those particular brands of liners are thinner than the purple and green ones I used. Regardless, I stuck the cupcakes in the oven and waited, turning the cupcake pan around after ten minutes to bake all sides of the cupcakes evenly. The tops where light and fluffy and just started to turn a golden brown. Waiting another ten minutes, the cupcakes had turned into a slightly darker hue. Happy that the liners all filled out into well-formed cupcakes, I let the batch cool until ready to decorate.


Feeling ambitious, I tried my hand at making a buttercream frosting. After attempting to whip the butter and vanilla into a cream and sifting the confectioner's sugar slowly into the mix, I wished I had read the instructions before starting. I was in need of a handheld mixer. The process was time-consuming and a bit of an arm workout! By the end of the fourth cup of confectioner's sugar and the two tablespoons of milk, the frosting appeared complete but it lacked the light and airy feel of frosting. Stirring in a few drops of food coloring, I decorated the cupcakes anyways, which was a bit of a trick since the frosting was too soft.


My first attempt at using plastic tips and Ziploc bags turned into a mess. Each time I used a small amount of pressure to squeeze the frosting out, the plastic tip would pop out! Frustrating...

Besides three of the cupcakes, I decorated the remaining with store-bought buttercream frosting. The technique was simple:  spread the frosting evenly across the top of the cupcakes. The colors were beautiful, but the tops of the cupcakes were a bit hard and the liners stuck to the cupcakes. Just a bit over-baked, the key is to get the cupcakes to hold a golden brown color AND a soft and fluffy texture throughout the whole cupcake.

Cupcake Challenge!

After the last few days of immersing myself into the world of cupcakes, I came to realize the true intricacy and creativity it takes to transform simple ingredients into a piece of art.

One night of impulsive shopping for a friend’s birthday gift lead to an evening spent baking in my tiny apartment kitchen.  As I finished my first German chocolate cupcake with a marshmallow flower atop the cream cheese frosting, a sense of accomplishment and success washed over me. 

With a new-found passion for cupcakes, I find myself reaching for ways to improve my skills.  I have little to no experience baking, but practice makes perfect!