Janejerously Sweet

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Day O' GreenCupcakes

so first of all...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! CHEERS!!

I kept double guessing myself..."Is it the 14th or the 17th?" --I'm a tard...

Anywho...

Every year I make a different version of Guinness Cupcakes. Last year it turned out to be a bland chocolate cupcake with lame chocolate frosting...Therefore I had to makeup for last years sad trial.

I GIVE YOU:
Guiness Cupcakes with Green Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting!!

So we start here, the frosting ( so I can lick the spatula and wait while my cups are baking duh!)

Mmmmmm cream cheesee....

I let this sit in the fridge while I prepared my batter.
NOTE: make sure you sift your confectioners sugar before you add it in, and not enough sugar results in slimy frosting, bleh.

I sifted all my dry ingrediants first, then gradually added in the wet. I LOVE the smell of Guinness and chocolate, and that's probably why this recipe worked so well.

THE wet.....

NOTE: make sure you evenly distribute your batter so that you have even looking cakes...

To the dry...but not dried out ;)

(I use a Wilton silicone based cupcake sheet--it's easy to clean and works just like any other cupcake sheet. Actually it works a bit better in the way that it's easier to pop these suckers right out to cool and FROST!!)

"mmMMM Guinness......cupcake"

But we're not finished yet!!! He's naked!!! *Gasp*

So I use disposable piping bags (I know, I know...I'll get the real bag) with reusable tips, and today I went for just a plain round tip. It was a large bag so I ended up filling most of it with my green frosting......

NOTE: Let the frosting come back to room temperature before you start loading and piping away. You might pull something trying push that deliciousness through that nozzle....

At this point of my baking sesh I do have a stomach ache...frosting for breakfast is not the way you should start your day....BTW I baked the cakes at night and frosted in the morning that way they were fresh and ready for the real world...

"Eh bowl of cereal....or frosting........FROSTING!"

Oooo yahh lookin frosty... ;)

:Packaged for your convenience:

Go Team ChakaFeel!!!!!

Moist...like all cakes should be, and no its not green doody!!!!

You can't beat cream cheese frosting....

1....2...3........3*!!

...enough cupcake talk....now off to the land of carbombs.

Toodles!!!

Monday, March 16, 2009

....and it starts with the cake pops

So finally I was able to sit down, upload, bla bla bla, and do all the boring stuff...

Now here comes the fun stuff.

So during my um, 'downtime' , I'm constantly flipping through books, magazines,watching foodnetwork, (and my favorite) web surfing other bakerblogs such as Bakerella, The Pioneer Woman, Cupcakes take the Cake, and so on....So then I thought HEY! why don't I try this and share with my friends and family.

I kept running across this one post which happend to be these CUTE little Hello Kitty cakepops, and if you know me I LOVE herro kitty ;)
Then I began my planning...

Sur La Table, Surface, Gloria's Cakes and Supplies, and Micheal's pretty much has everything you need in order to start this project...

Le Creuset---so Awesome, highly recommended!

Just a few tools in order to make the base of your cake pops.

Then some of the ingredients...YUM

Oh....but before I really get into the mix, I just wanted to show these AWESOME measuring spoons Andy's mom got me for Christmas (Thanks Karen!!!)

okay....let's begin the adventure
(but here are the actual directions)

We've got our lovely chocolate cake mix with frosting
Warning: do not use any cakes with little candy chips, chocolate, coconut...you get the idea, basically no extra crap in your cake mix
(and yes I made this mistake...but no biggie tho)

from this....we get THESE!!!
* it does get messy so um make sure your work area is clean....oh and your hands too hehe

for projects such as the:

HELLO KITTY HEADS!

.........or

Little Cake Bites!!

So there was a lot of chocolate/ candy chip melting after this....white, chocolate, and pink....The counters were a painted mess.

The coating was a bit tricky along with inserting the sticks and molding the butts of the cakes...BUT it all turned out fine. (there is definitely room for improvement..bleh)

(Here are some blank kitty heads, and some finished cake pops! mmm yum!)

Decorating note: these candy chips or chocolated covered candies...were probably the hardest thing in the world to find. Finally at Sur La Table they were mixed in with some ice cream toppers....not even your normal candy shop had them.