Yellow Butter Cupcakes with Canned Frosting

I gave Rose's Yellow Butter Cupcakes a try after being asked to make ninety cupcakes for a birthday party, lost my nerve and used boxed mixes.  I need a good cupcake go to recipe and this one fits the bill perfectly.  The canned leftover frozen frosting from the ninety cupcakes delighted the granddaughters.  They love this preservative filled artificially flavored stuff.  If I ever find a recipe that approximates the flavor I'll be very happy.

Quail Free Egg Indulgence Cake

I just couldn't do it.  I couldn't bring myself to go hunting for quail eggs.  I love quails.  I adore quails.  They are native to California and the state bird.  It used to be a common thing to see a covey of quails, darting in single file with one parent at the lead and the other bringing up the rear.  Now, because of the horrendous building boom, it  is a rare occasion to see quails.

I realize it is completely hypocritical to use chicken eggs instead.  In my zany defense, I do buy organic free range eggs.  And I soothe my conscience even further by remembering the oodles of eggs our chicken used to lay about the yard without giving them a second look.  Can you tell I have guilt issues over eggs as a non vegan vegetarian?

The recipe made five small cupcakes.  We all agreed they taste rather like a sugar cookie in cake form.  Three of us liked them, one didn't and the last has yet to be eaten by the final taste tester, my daughter's beau, although he did humor me and take the picture.

Mud Turtle Cake

My birthday is exactly one week before Valentine's Day.  Raymond's idea of making Mud Turtle Cupcakes as a whole cake seemed like a great idea.

It took a good long while to bake as a single layer; domed and cracked a bit but settled down nicely.  I sliced it in half and layered with the ganache.  I wish I had put the caramel between the layers as well.  Good to note for next time.  Instead I frosted the top, swirled the caramel via a nipped zip lock bag and dusted it with chopped toasted pecans.

The caramel took two tries.  The first batch was a bit too amber, though not completely ruined.  The second batch turned out better.  My eldest granddaughter got the idea to sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt and it was fantastic.  Sea salt really does go well with caramel.  We played with the "burnt" batch, turning it into candies that  tasted like a pecan version of Almond Roca.

Stuffed with candles and lit ablaze, Rose's Mud Turtle cake was delicious.

Cradle Cake with Mystery Ganache

I realize this is a week late posting.  Getting the pictures up is a bit tricky.  I must say the Cradle Cake in Rose's Heavenly Cakes was a stunning combination; light buttermilk cake wrapped within a delicate dacquoise.  The only bit of tweeking with the recipe involved a ten inch loaf pan and 70% Valrohna chocolate.  Topped, while warm from the oven, with unmarked frozen chocolaty caramely ganache, this cake reserved rave reviews.