snow globe cupcakes

i love snow globes

when i see grand collections

a tinge of envy

bubbles up

like plastic snowflakes

in a whirl

then 

a 

settling calm

because

the last thing i need

is

 another collection

unless of course

we are talking

 edible

like these little darlings

an incredibly simple project

perfect for

your holiday table

snow globe cupcakes

1 recipe of your favorite cupcake baked and cooled

my favorite

1 recipe of your favorite frosting

1 dozen plastic clear christmas balls

like these

i picked mine up at michaels 

cupcake toppers 

(deer, trees, house in the woods...

whatever your fancy)

edible glitter in white

ribbon

imagination

using a sharp scissor or craft knife, cut the top off the ornament

like so

wash and dry the "globe" then sprinkle some of the edible glitter in the bottom.  swirl it around.  most of the glitter will stick, what doesn't will fall to the cupcake when you invert.  if you want lots of "snow" in the globe, brush a bit of vodka on the inside of the globe, swirl the glitter.  it will stick well, and the vodka will evaporate, eliminating any unwanted moisture.  

frost the cupcake as you normally would, place your decorations on top, and carefully invert the globe over the top.  

finish with a little bow

linking to

tatertots and jello weekly linky

spa party cupcakes

my niece julia

turns 12 this month

her party was last week

she asked if i would make cupcakes

with lots of fondant

(apparently, she loves it)

in a spa-sleepover theme

she chose blue and pink as her colors

i made the fondant toppers the day before baking the cupcakes, and let them sit at room temperature overnight.

*note, i used duff goldman black fondant and it worked well--i liked the texture a lot. it is important to warm it in the microwave a bit before working with it.  i didn't use dg white, as it is "buttercream" flavored, not the flavor my niece loves. for the white and colored pieces i used satin ice brand tinted with gel food color.

(i am not compensated for endorsing or mentioning either brand)

i am linking these up to




andtatertots and jello weekend wrap upand
and the tattered tag

happy heart cupcakes

i love it when i make things

that look familiar

but taste delicious

it is not so difficult

when making 

mock store-bought treats

for these

hostess like cupcakes

i used the recipe

i shared for 

homemade

ding dongs

found here

instead of loopdy loops

i made

loopdy hearts

from tinted royal icing

these are tiny

just one bite

so cute 

for a lunch box treat

or 

as an after dinner mint

  (just flavor your ganache or filling)

treat yourself to a

plateful! 

ice cream and cake halloween style

this is probably my last halloween post 

this year

i'm not promising

but since halloween is tomorrow

it is looking good

these mini cupcakes are a lot of fun to eat

but 

if you are a perfectionist

and don't like it when things don't go your way

don't do the ice cream part

use frosting

make your favorite cupcake recipe and bake in mini-tartlet pan using paper liners.  let cool.  dip each in bittersweet chocolate ganache and let firm up.  top with ghost--and serve.

the ghosts are made from homemade philadelphia style ice cream

freeze the ice cream until it is quite thick and could hold shape. quickly put it into a pastry bag fitted with a tip with a 1/4" round hole.  pipe the ice cream onto a sheet pan, lined with parchment and immediately put it in the freezer for 4 hours.   remove the ghosts and pipe the chocolate eyes and mouth and return to the freezer. let freeze overnight.  just before serving, use an offset spatula to move the ice cream from the sheet pan to the mini-cupcakes. 

take your bow

then eat

* if you choose to use frosting rather than ice cream....you can either pipe the ghosts directly on to the cupcake, or you can pipe them on to a sheet-pan, put them in the fridge for an hour or so, decorate with chocolate ganache, and then transfer by offset spatula to the cupcakes.

bobbing for apples

i don't remember my age

on the day of my very first halloween party

but i do remember

costumes were compulsory

(something i still require)

and there were games

like 

bobbing for apples

each apple holding a prize

some had coins

others had slips of paper, wrapped in plastic

naming a prize

and i remember

getting really wet

and laughing 

until my stomach hurt

it is a halloween tradition

that i think has sadly gone by the wayside

so i am bringing it back

with these cupcakes

an homage

to a favorite childhood game

bobbing for apples cupcakes

bake your favorite cupcakes

frost with buttercream (tinted blue)

make small balls out of marzipan

dip the balls in red food color and let dry

poke a hole with a toothpick and insert a chocolate jimmie

wrap with a cupcake wrapper shaped as a bucket

i don't have a template to share, but i took a cupcake wrapper, traced it on silver paper, then added handles

just a little black marker, gave them a bit of depth

so easy, right?

check out more fun stuff over at tatertots and jello weekend wrap-up

well groomed {groom's ruffled tuxedo shirt cakes in miniature}

i thought the cupcake trend

might have ended by now

or at least slowed down

but

it ain't happening

as a matter of fact

it seems to be spreading

like wild fire

which is fine with me

because frankly

cupcakes are less tedious than cake

there,

i said it

cake is not really fun

nostalgic?

yes

tasty?

certainly

fun?

no

there is no"crumb layer" on cupcakes

i rest my case

 if you are not convinced

exhibit a

a lovely birthday cake

enjoy

and now 

exhibit b

i give you small cakes

for the groom

fun and delicious

red velvet cake
(printable recipe)

*this is not my recipe...it is adapted from bobby flay's throwdown cupcake challenge

i changed some of the measurements slightly.

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 Tbs cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

3 Tbs red food color

1 1/4 tsp vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

1/8 cup water

in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and set aside.  in a mixer set with paddle attachment, place the sugar, oil and eggs and beat for 5 minutes.  add the buttermilk and beat for just 1 minute or so, until it is all well blended.  add the food color and mix slowly (otherwise you might be wearing it), add the vinegar, water and vanilla.  beat for just about a minute more.  slowly mix in the flour mixture and just mix until it is all fully incorporated, then put the mixer on high for about 5 seconds.  turn off and you are ready to go. you can make 2-7" rounds with this recipe or about 2 dozen cupcakes.

hello cupcake

 happy 18th birthday

to my

niece

Meghan

welcome

to

the 

adults table!

sweet sixteen

It's been 27 years since my sweet 16 and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
I will never forget opening the front door to one of my older brother's friends and he said, "sweet 16 and never been kissed", leaned over and planted one on my cheek, and watched me turn about 15 shades of pink.

Well, it wasn't true. I was "married" at the age of 4 to my neighbor..and I know we must have kissed at least once.

My mother and I planned for months for my party. We ordered beautiful invitations with tissue confetti nestled in the envelope. When the recipient opened it, the little orbs floated out and it looked like a party was happening right at that very moment. I asked all my friends to bring another friend, and I wore a frilly white dress (it was the 80's).  It was fun.

Last night, one of my many nieces had her sweet sixteen birthday party

And I crashed it

sort of

I was hired help

sort of

Okay, Okay

I inserted myself in the middle

Come on...

I do food for a living

Remember my cousin-slash-friend from our Operation Christmas Child party? Well, she and I were at it again

and this is what we came up with

so cute, right?