HotPink Love

Girlies wanted chocolate cupcakes. I was going to make these cute cupcake love monsters for the monsters I love... we have all been snowed in together all week...

I had the cupcakes in the oven, made my favorite way - in jumbo cupcake paper, butter for oil, and milk for water - and I was working on the icing.

I normally buy 1lb boxes of powder sugar because then I don't have to measure it. I find that powder sugar is hard to measure. Is it compact enough? Is it too compact? Should I go by weight? It's just easier to buy the 1lb box and be done with it.

Last time I bought ingredients the store (target) only had 2lb bags. I bought just one so that I could make the cake... it's much easier to correct icing that has too much PS.

So what I had in the bag SHOULD have been the leftover 1lb. But the icing did not come out right, I even had my girlies taste it and they said "just not right." Totally not enough sugar... and no possibility of getting more anytime soon... as the roads are sheets of ice.

Cake is cake and we can eat it without topping... but I was looking forward to doing something pink.

Fortunately I'm all stocked up on Candy Melts and Candy Melts Coloring and just coincidentally had heavy cream on hand. So I made hot pink ganache. LOVE IT! The vanilla flavor is really nice and my youngest girlie says she likes it better than buttercream.

I love the added... crunch?... of nonpariels, so we sprinkled liberally. I think everyone should keep these white nonpariels on hand as a staple in the baking pantry. We also added a cute heart sprinkle in the middle of each cupcake... mmmm, these are edible but not yummy. Not something my girlies will try to sneak while I'm baking.

So, I'll make the love monsters on Saturday or Sunday. These Pink Loves should go like HOT cakes :)

Never too old for a princess cake

Made a surprise cake for a friend. Triple chocolate box, sub milk for water.

Love the wonder mold except for the cooling process. I like to turn my cakes over, release them, and then put the pan back on for 10-24 hrs. This takes the steam and traps it so that the moisture goes back into the cake.

The wonder mold pan doesn't do that. There is no seal of moisture created because of the hole/bolt at the bottom of the pan.

So, unfortunately, all my princess cakes so far have been a bit dry for my standards. I might experiment in pouring some condensed milk on the cakes when they come out of the over...

Pink buttercream for the dress with white... layery looking things? I totally just did, no plan involved. I also added a pearl necklace and earrings and a buttercream band in her hair.

The cake matches the birthday girl. Plus I thought this picture was fun, because except for the bodice/head of princess slipping a little you can't tell that her backside has been eaten.

Chocolate Hugs & Kisses

Finally have a moment to bake. In honor of the new year I decided chocolate overload was in order.

Triple Chocolate Cake box.

Chocolate glaze.

Chocolate buttercream.

Hershey's Kiss.

Pink sprinkles.

Made the cake as directed but subbed butter for oil and milk for water. I wanted to make these last night, but it's been so long since I've had a chance to bake that I got out of the habit of keeping sticks of butter at room temperature. I've got 5 stick out now... ready to go for the next experiment.

Anyway, I've mentioned before that I like to use the jumbo cupcake papers in the regular pan:

I love the little white collar that remains above the cupcakes... plus, it makes it possible to pool the glaze!

I winged the chocolate glaze. I didn't have the ingredients to make the Wilton Chocolate Glaze, so I made the confectioner sugar glaze and added a tbls of coco powder.

Next, chocolate buttercream. Okay, don't know if I've mentioned this... but I strongly believe that the key to buttercream icing is b-u-t-t-e-r. Many people will make buttercream with shortening. They do this because it doesn't spoil or need to be refrigerated... It also doesn't need to be consumed. (That's just my big ol' opinion.)

Add a kiss and sprinkles... and you are sure to get hugs.

Cocktail Balls

Finally Wilton has changed their home page... I am a little over Christmas cakes. They are now pushing cake balls... which is totally not as fun as the featured idea in the middle of the page, Cocktail Balls.

Kill Me Now. My life is complete. I am too immature to handle/pass up the chance to make a food called Cocktail Balls. These non-alcohol treats will be delivered to the office on Tuesday.

Photos to come (when I've actually made them).

So please, join me for Cocktail Balls on Tuesday (they will be labeled as cocktail bon-bons at the office.)

Te to the he.

Let's see how close to Wilton's picture I can hit, here's the goal:

Happy New Year!

2011, officially the year of amusements.