Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

It is nice and snowy in Alberta right now. Not so much down here in southern Alberta. Apparently up north is a winter wonderland! In honor of the snow, here are some cute cupcakes that I made! Plus I used my cricut for the first time. YAY! I decided to start simple. We'll work up to some more intricate designs that have more levels eventually.

The first cut! Seriously, so exciting. I used the frosting sheets that you can buy specifically designed for the cricut. Not 100% sure how I feel about them, but I'll have to try out gum paste and fondant to find which I prefer. They did work though, and that is all that matters!

Aren't they cute?

(Please note my attempt to be artsy by actually placing the cupcakes in the snowbank outside...)

I made an Angel Food Cupcake. I had no idea you could make Angel Food in cupcake form. They were quite tasty! Here is the recipe;

Angel Food Cupcakes

1 1/4 C. All purpose flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

12 egg whites from large eggs (enough for 1 1/2 C.)

1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and beat at high speed until frothy (approx. 1 min. - I did 2). Add cream of tartar, salt and vanilla. Mix at high speed until almost till almost stiff (approx. 4 min.). Add 1 C. sugar gradually while mixing on low speed. Scrape bowl. Mix flour and the remaining sugar together in a separate bowl. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture over the egg whites, and fold gently between each addition. Pour batter into cupcake liners until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and cracks are very dry. Cool completely prior to removing from pan.

Now I also used a vanilla buttercream icing (a Martha Stewart recipe) which in my opinion was way too sweet. I even left out 2 cups of the powdered sugar the recipe called for. Can we say sugar coma??? But you can use any icing on top of these cupcakes.

Yum. Angel Food...... : )

My family loves me.

Look what I got!

Ok. so this isn't exactly the one I got, but it is the exact same thing! AND I'M SO EXCITED! For those who do not know, this is a Cricut Cake. It allows you to cut shapes of all sorts into fondant, gumpaste, frosting sheets! Intricate or simple, it does it all! And it works with all the cricut cartridges (well except for the imagine, but that's fine) I have ideas a flowing. Will post when follow through occurs!

Christmas Time is....Over?! WHAT THE???

So Christmas has come and gone, and I did not bake a single thing! Not one! How did this happen.... I think it was my overly ambitious idea to sew an apron for every member of my family coming for Christmas. (10) Yep. I made 10 aprons. I am by no means a professional sewer. I can't cut a straight line to save my life, and I can't sew one either! But needless to say, they turned out pretty cute. My family may hate me for this but I have to show off my blood, sweat and tears!

On another note, I guess I'm not entirely truthful in saying I didn't do any baking. Both of my parents have December birthdays, so that makes the already busy month busier! I made a cake for both of my parents this year as they have moved closer to me and I'm actually able to do it!
For my Dad, he's Mr. Handyman, so a tool box it is! And despite my lack of sewing abilities (however, I am working on them) my Mom can sew, and quite well, so a spool of thread seems to be in order. I know I'm a little biased but I think they both turned out kinda cute. : )

Mmmmmmm.....Pumpkin.

October is definitely the time for all things Pumpkin! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, and of course these babies.... Pumpkin bars!

I was visting my Aunt in Portland a few years ago and she introduced me to these little ditties. Needless to say, it was love at first bite. The bar itself isn't sweet, and then you add some cream cheese icing, & maybe a few cute little accents. AMAZING!

I apologize for the slightly blurry photo.... It's definitely time for a new camera. BUT to make up for the bad photography, here, let me share the recipe!

Pumpkin Bars

2 C. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

4 beaten eggs

1 16 ounce can of pumpkin

1 1/2 C. white sugar

1 C. cooking oil

1 tsp. salt

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil. Beat until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Spread batter in an ungreased 15X10X1" pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cover with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

1 6 ounce or 8 ounce package of cream cheese

1/2 C. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 or more C. of powdered sugar

Blend ingredients together until smooth. Add more icing sugar if you want it to be sweeter.

Package it all up cute & voila!

Tie Dye or Rainbow?

I found some pictures online the other day of what were called 'Neon Rainbow Cupcakes'. As soon as I saw the picture I knew I had to try it. And it was surprisingly easy!


Step 1: Using a white cake mix follow the instructions on the box in preparing the batter.
Step 2: Seperate the batter into 6 equal (or as equal as you can get them) parts.
Step 3: Using GEL icing dye, dye each part a different color (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple <- and to be honest the red was more of a neon pink). I read that using the GEL colors makes it more vibrant, but I'm sure that you can use just regular food coloring as well.
Step 4: put 1/2-3/4 of a tablespoon of one of the batters into each cupcake liner. Follow with additional colors. No need to swirl together, just let it fall in and land as it will.
Step 5: Bake as per box directions.
Step 6: decorate with icing & sprinkles if you want to!
Step 7: ENJOY!

I think one of the greatest things about these cupcakes is that each one is unique. Some have more of a color than another, and some have crazy patterns. This recipe can also be used for a cake as well. Just imagine the surprise when someone cuts into a plainly iced cake.

So there you have it. TIE DYE Cupcakes. (I think that suits it more than rainbow, what do you think?)

Something's Coming!!

So October is just around the corner, which means so is my second favorite holiday...

HALLOWEEN!

I just love it! It also means some more treats will be headed this way soon!

the BIG dream

I want to do this...

Or this...

Or this.....

Or even this!

How do you even start to do this though?? You always hear about these people who quit their corporate jobs and took a chance on starting a dessert type shop. Seriously??? Is it just luck? I don't get it. All I know is that I want to do what Amy Atlas (these are photos of her work) does. It's the DREAM! So if someone wants to lend me some start up money.... : )

Someday......