"Oh snap, he's about to eat that power pill!"

Yeah that's right--you guys better hurry up. I have been dreaming up an occasion to make these adorable cookies for some time now, because they're not exactly suited for any particular holiday. Halloween, maybe...because of the ghosts? The original (and quite famous, might I add) concept for these comes from the uber-creative mind behind the Snack or Die website, which features video game-related baked goods galore. Check it out if you're into that sort of thing :)

A Christmas Miracle???

Surely it must be, if I made these sammiches last night and I'm posting them the very next day! There's hope yet for me after all :) Compelled to bake 'n' post after procuring a new blog layout (which I'm absolutely IN LOVE with--Thanks, Delicious Design Studio!), I decided to see what I could whip up using ingredients I already had in my *shamefully* large baking supplies stash. Using my favorite cake mix-turned-cookie recipe, I converted a milk chocolate mix into some cute & chewy red velvet cookies and finished them off with a delectable cream cheese filling. Like an Oreo Cakester...but better!

And One for the Groom, Too!

My cousin married her high school sweet heart (awwwwwww!) this past Saturday, November 8th. Unforeseen circumstances brought the pleasure of making the groom's cake to my doorstep, and I was happy to take on the task. Two layers of dark chocolate cake encase a cookies and cream filling...my compliments to the bride and groom for selecting such an awesome flavor combo!

While I'm not normally a fan of the star fill-in method made popular by the Wilton school of cake decorating, I found that it was the quickest and albeit cutest way to represent "grass" in butter cream. (Oh, and can we say, "green and black mouths?" It takes crazy ridiculous amounts of food coloring to achieve those shades, even using my uber-black Americolor Super Black gel. For deep colors like black, red, blue, and green Americolor can't be beat! Make the switch from Wilton and you won't believe how it will change your life. Okay, so maybe it's not life-changing, but it will certainly make your decorating a breeze!) The fleur de lis, lettering, numbers, and gazillion tick marks were piped a few days before using royal icing. Thank goodness for proper planning!

Here's the cake set up at the reception hall:

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

...and it was tasty. And tall, I can't forget TALL.

Halloween Cookies: 2008 Edition

So here's the new and (much) improved version of the cookies I made a year ago... it's hard to believe how quickly the year has passed! Check out last year's cookies for comparison :) Last year was the year of the Crazy Eye. This year? Cartoon eyes, of course! Much more whimsical this year, eh? Time consuming? Yes. Worth it? Definitely. Now I know why those fancy cookie bouquet shops charge so much per cookie...these things are so darned labor-intensive! It's hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, I'd say that I'm kinda lovin' the expression on the bat's face. I almost regret not giving the candy corn any features. What are your thoughts?

Cupcake order, Part II

It's been a crazy busy baking weekend. Did I mention that the lady who ordered the zoo cupcakes also ordered a batch of Disney's Cars themed cupcakes for her son to bring to school on his birthday? No? Well she did, and here they are in all their cream cheese-topped, vanilla cakey glory. 'Lightning McQueen' cupcake liners? Red and blue sprinkles? You got 'em.

We originally planned to do red velvet cupcakes to match the color scheme, but I don't think too many moms would be happy if their sons and daughters came home with red mouths...hands...clothes...you get the point. They ARE 4 years old, after all. And even though I've never seen the movie Cars, I'd like to mention that I think "Lightning McQueen" is quite possibly the coolest character name ever. Like, ev-er. See ya next time.

My cousin's getting married!

White almond sour cream (WASC) cake. Do a quick Internet search on it, and you'll quickly discover that it's a very popular choice for wedding cakes. Is it the pristine white interior, the firm yet light texture, or the classic almond flavor that's captured the hearts of people throughout the country? Or is it the fact that it's practically no-fail since it relies on a commercial cake mix as its base? The world may never know.  Past experience with this formula (I used the chocolate variation for the wedding cake I made last year for K. and J.) caused me to turn to it yet again for my cousin's bridal shower this weekend.

The term "bridal shower" for me conjures up images of dainty, genteel ladies eating dainty little desserts (think petits fours), so cupcakes seemed more appropriate for the occasion than a full-blown cake. I was informed that the wedding colors were brown, pink, and olive green and that it would be New Orleans-themed (i.e., fleur de lis everywhere) so I did my best to incorporate those into the cupcakes. Here they are in pink:

and green: That's not exactly olive green but I figured a minty green would more appealing as an icing color. 

I was also asked to make a larger cake that would serve as the centerpiece for the dessert table and would be a "family only" cake that we'd tear into after the guests have come and gone. Following the theme, I covered the cake in white chocolate fleur de lis and cream cheese icing. What's inside, you ask? Red velvet, of course! And yes, that's a couch...all this was completed at the eleventh hour and I was already 30 minutes late in leaving the house for delivery!

Did someone say, "Zoo Party?!?!"

Never one to turn down an excuse to try out fun new ideas, I jumped at the chance to make zoo-themed cupcakes for the sweet son of a co-worker. (I think he's 4???) I'm just now realizing this, but this was my first official (paid) cupcake order. The amount of planning and labor that went into these cuties was, as usual, far more than I expected. In the end, however, I was quite pleased with the outcome and of course it was a labor of love :)

My sister D. played a huge role in making sure this order would be finished in time, and many thanks go out to her! She actually spent her time off painting the tigers, hippos, elephants, and zebras with food colors and a tiny, tiny brush! The animals are made of animal crackers (you know--the ones that come in a big plastic bear-shaped tub) covered with a colored glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup. I would have liked to include some other animals, but I figured the ones I chose had the most distinctive shapes (zebra, lion, tiger, and elephant were a given since they also appeared on the green jungle print cupcake liners). These are so fun I almost want to throw my own zoo party just so I can make them again!

Pretty days...

...just beg for pink cupcakes! And October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, don't cha know. Think pink!

Cooking with Coveiter

I was recently asked if I'd be interested in creating a baked good in the spirit of the Coveiter website, which provides daily helpings of all things pretty--shoes, clothes, home items, and jewelry to name a few. Being a huge Coveiter fan, I didn't have to think twice before enthusiastically saying "YES!" (More excuses to bake, right?) Whether you're a girly girl or just someone who appreciates beautiful things, you should check out their awesome website. The ladies at Coveiter have impeccable taste and have never been known to disappoint. Many, many thanks go out to Lindsey at Coveiter, who agreed to photograph my creation. Beautiful work, Lindsey!

For this project I used the colors of Coveiter's blog heading for inspiration: a palette of purple, grey (silver?), and white. Purple was easy--I knew I had to incorporate blueberries somewhere in my recipe (and I knew it had to be cupcakes!), since they bake up and burst into a vivid shade of purple. In the end I chose to use them in the frosting in order to better showcase their lovely hue. Baked in silver foil liners and topped with a pearl-dusted white fondant flower, I think I did a good job with sticking to my planned color scheme. I better be careful, though, since lately the famous Sprinkles Bakery is having a fit over other people allegedly copying "their look" with fondant decorations on top of cupcakes. :)


A Dozen Donut Cupakes (adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbl. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla yogurt

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil cups.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a separate (large) bowl whisk eggs, yogurt, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until smooth. Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

Portion into 12 muffin cups and bake until cakes test done, about 15 minutes. Let cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.



Dreamy Blueberry Buttercream (enough to frost 24 cupcakes)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Crisco®

1/4 cup Blueberry Cobbler flavored Coffee Mate® powdered creamer

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 small can wild blueberries, drained**

**Buy a box of Betty Crocker® "Twice the Blueberries" muffin mix. It comes with two small cans of wild blueberries...borrow one for this recipe, and you'll still have one can left to make blueberry muffins with. Yay! Or you could buy frozen wild blueberries and use about 1/4 cup if you live in an area where this is more cost effective, or go with fresh if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy. Add powdered coffee creamer and mix to incorporate. Slowly add powdered sugar, stopping to scrape bowl as needed, and beat another 3-5 minutes. Add blueberries and continue beating another minute or so, until berries break down and blend into frosting.

Everyone's got a favorite

Hostess® snack cake, that is. Mine happens to be the rare and elusive Orange Cup Cake. Okay, so it's not the healthiest choice one could make, what with it's scary-long list of ingredients, artificial flavors & colors, and enough sugar to send a panda into a diabetic fit. But sometimes...you just want it, you know? Behold, my take on two childhood favorites: the (in)famous Hostess® Cup Cake (often mistakenly referred to as a Ding Dong, which is a similar yet entirely different beast) and the Twinkie® ...in cupcake form.

As usual, I take requests whenever a company event arises, and these two garnered the most votes for our Labor Day cookout. I'm actually quite pleased with how they came out, despite the fact that I veered from the classic canoe-shape for the cupcake on the right (which incidentally only has marshmallows on top to help disguise my messy cupcake filling technique). Ideally I would've used half a large marshmallow, but it was late and the minis were all I could find in my baking stash.

Wanna make some? You'll need two dozen of your favorite cupcakes, made using your favorite recipe or my favorite--from a box. Use cupcake liners or not; it's more authentic without, but then you're stuck with the tedious task of greasing and flouring your muffin tins. Once cool, use a pastry bag (or large zip-top bag) fitted with a large star tip to fill them with "Hostess® Twinkie Creme Filling" found on the Top Secret Recipes site. For the chocolate top: melt 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup shortening, and 3 Tablespoons corn syrup together and spread on cupcakes. Finish with an icing squiggle, if desired. Don't try to make 7 loops on top unless you've got crazy good piping skills, which I don't. That and I think Hostess® has trademarked "the look."

No Tricks, Just Treats

Combining my two recent obsessions, Rice Krispie Treats and Neapolitan anything, these precious cubes of stri-pedy goodness are sheer genius! Wish I could take credit for inventing these, because they're such a simple yet clever idea. Not to mention tasty. (Thank you, Kraft Foods, for inventing strawberry marshmallows!)

I don't know what it is about the combination of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry that plays such a beautiful symphony in my mouth and brings such a smile to my heart. Perhaps it's the lovely stripes of color, oh so sweet and pastel. Or maybe it's the liberating feeling of knowing that no longer do you have to choose among the three flavors. Why settle for one when you can have it all?


Neapolitan Treats (yield: 48 cubes)
You'll need:
a parchment-lined 11x15" pan
a largish pot
silicone spatula or other stirring device
rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Chocolate Layer:
3 Tbl. margarine
10 oz bag mini marshmallows
8 cups Cocoa Krispies (not the "Pebbles", because those are flat-ish)

Vanilla Layer:
3 Tbl. margarine
10 oz bag mini marshmallows
8 cups Rice Krispies

Strawberry Layer:
3 Tbl. margarine
10 oz bag Kraft Jet-Puffed Strawberry Marshmallows
8 cups Rice Krispies
4 drops red food coloring (optional)

I prepared them in that order because I did not want to wash my pot in between flavors. You can layer them in whatever order you prefer!

Line your 11x15" pan with parchment paper, then lightly spray the bottom with non-stick spray. For each layer, melt the margarine and marshmallows over low heat until melted, then stir in cereal until evenly coated. A silicone spatula works wonders for this! Spread mixture into pan, and spread evenly while pressing firmly. Repeat with remaining layers. Now's the time to add the sprinkles, if using. Cool completely, then cut into cubes. Enjoy!

It's good to be back!

Well it's that time of year again, so head on out to the Cajundome for the Games of Acadiana Game Day on Saturday, August 16th beginning at 10 a.m. As always, it's free to register and play, but please consider making a donation to benefit Miles Perret Cancer Services. Check out "Mama T's Bake Sale" and peruse oodles of tables overflowing with baked goods lovingly made by the good folks of Acadiana. Every thing's $1, so buy plenty--it's for a good cause

Here's what I'll be throwing into the mix:

Neapolitan Cookies

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes

Marshmallow Krispy Squares (with sprinkles!)

If you're as big a fan of giant Rice Krispie Treats as I am, then you've gotta grab some of these at the bake sale. Measuring in at a whopping 3" x 3" x 1.75", these gooey, crispy yum-yums also sport the fun addition of "flair." Cute!

Kitchen is closed!

That's right, folks. You read that title correctly (take a few seconds to breathe deeply and calm down...everything will be okay). Barring any unforseen and/or spontaneous cake-requiring events, my oven is going on hiatus. That is, until the week of August 16th--when I'll be firing it up again to churn out ridiculous piles of baked goods for the Games of Acadiana Bake Sale to benefit the Miles Perret Center. Make plans to bring your little ones to Game Day at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA on August 16th for a fun-filled day of family-friendly activities. Until then I'll be hanging up my oven mitts and dreaming up what delicious little lovelies I'll be bringing :) See ya next month!

I just discovered Wordle!

While browsing the I Heart Cuppycakes blog a few days ago I was introduced what I would consider quite possibly one of the neatest sites I've ever seen. Go find yourself a big block of text to copy and paste, then check out http://wordle.net/ to generate your own "Wordle" graphic. You can switch up fonts, layouts, and color schemes to your liking, and they're even smart enough to allow you the option of excluding common words (so your Wordle won't be full of "the", "a", "of", etc.). I generated one using the text of my recent post on vegan chocolate cupcakes. Small things such as these bring so much sunshine and happiness to my day!

Miss American Cupcake Contest: Update

Many thanks to all my friends and family members who voted for me and my cupcake entry entitled "Petits Gateaux de Sirop" in the Miss American Cupcake Contest. The polls have closed and the results are out. Alas--no love for me, despite all my charms, good looks, and pleas for votes. :) Better luck next time, eh?

Vegan brownies? Yes, please.

I don't know what it is about these brownies, but they are unbelieveably good. I'm talking best-ever brownies that have come out of my oven, and that's saying a lot because I've tried many, many recipes on my quest for the perfect brownie. Vegan or not, these are the hands-down winner. I love them so much I want you to go make some for yourself and try them out. Yes, the recipe calls for tofu, but it's cleverly disguised beneath all that sugar and chocolatey goodness. Think of it as covert soy.

Vegan cupcakes are taking over my oven...

Does that chocolate cupcake not look like it's packed full of awesomeness? 'Cause it is, and it's vegan too! The recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and if you don't already own a copy you should go buy one. Seriously. Any unsuspecting omnivore would mistake this delightfully tender and light cupcake for a standard boxed cupcake. Don't get me wrong, I love me some cake mix cakes, but these were so easy to make and boast the addition of soy milk and canola oil--healthier substitutes for milk, butter, and eggs. Next time I might even fill them with a little Twinkie-type filling and top them with ganache and a little white squiggle. Mmmm...tasty.

It's not easy being green (cake).

My sister and I have been on a cake ball kick lately, and I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at making Bakerella's original Cupcake Bites. These are similar to the ones I previously made, but without the peanut butter cup-like bottom. We couldn't find the correct size of flower-shaped cookie cutter that was called for in the tutorial, until Diana happened upon some in the scrapbooking section of Hobby Lobby. Go figure. I actually did find the cutters at Williams-Sonoma, but the set was...pricey.

I made a minty green cake by adding mint extract and green food coloring to a box of white cake mix, which I naively assumed would stay the same beautiful green color when baked. Well lo and behold, the exterior of the cake baked up a wonderful, beautiful shade of...golden brown. Which is all fine and dandy until I started crumbling the cake. The resulting pile looked like a dirty speckled mess of green and brown. Yuk. It was nothing few more drops of food coloring couldn't remedy though. Make that tons more drops. Making these required quite a bit of a time commitment, but as I have no life and my weekends are pretty much free I didn't mind it so much. The minty flavor is subtle, which most people seemed to enjoy. I however am more partial to a more pronounced minty punch in the mouth, but overall I am quite pleased with the cuteness of the final product. Kinda like mini mugs of root beer. Which isn't such a horrible idea at all considering the number of root beer flavored cupcakes I've seen floating around the interweb...

I also made a three layered carrot cake, slathered in cream cheese icing and covered in chopped pecans. It was both beautiful and delicious, yet for some reason I did not think to take a picture of it :(

Arrrgh Matey!

Enter the Rum Raisin Cupcake (aka "Pirate Cupcake"), which has been on my "to bake" list for two weeks now. Sweet and innocent looking, these little cuties pack a quadruple punch of rummy goodness: rum-soaked raisins, rum in the batter, rum glaze, and rum flavored frosting. It's a veritable rum lover's heaven! Now before you go on thinking that you can get tipsy from these, you should know that the alcohol is probably mostly cooked out from the cake, and is definitely cooked out in the glaze, which I sent a-boilin' for about 5 minutes. It's the flavor I'm after. Sorry, alcoholphiles. (Is that even a word?)

This is my second venture into the world of vegan baking, and I have to say I'm quite happy with the results. My first attempt was a chocolate flavored "Wacky Cake," and I was less than thrilled with its flavor and texture. I wasn't willing to give up yet, since I find the concept of vegan baking rather intriguing and worth pursuing. Baking without eggs and dairy means I can whip up a batch of yum-yums at the drop of a hat, because finding a stock of eggs, butter, and milk in my fridge is always a gamble. You can find the Rum Raisin Cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, easily purchased at your local bookstore or from an online vendor. I really like that the recipes in VCTOTW make a neat dozen... small enough batches to do some experimenting with! The red velvet, vanilla, chocolate, chai latte, cappuccino, and coconut ones are next on my list (in no particular order), so be on the lookout in the future for these posts.