Monday, January 31, 2011

Giant Cupcake- 50th birthday

Hi Everyone,
I took a class at Andrea's SweetCakes for the Giant Cupcake and it was awesome. I think Andrea is an amazing teacher, mentor and friend. If anyone has not taken a class with her, you guys should sign up. Her classes fill up real quickly. For those who can't,  please visit her flickr page at Andreas SweetCakes .
 I was really happy that the cake I worked on was served the next day for a co-workers 50th birthday.  She really enjoyed her surprise and didn't expect it.

Sorry to keep it short : )  got a lot to do today!
Take care : )






Thursday, January 27, 2011

S'Mores Cupcakes- Almost Vegan!



Hi Everyone
A few weeks back we were invited to a tea party and I wanted to test out a new recipe from a new book that I just got "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. (more on this book in a later entry, really good buy!!! )
Well, let me tell you they were absolutely amazing!!!  I did substitute the soy milk and yogurt with regular milk and yogurt. These were not completely vegan, however they are eggless and tasted great!!
I made S'More Cupcakes with 2 different types of frosting. One was a Butter Cream frosting and the other a Whipped Pudding frosting.  So here is the recipe and if you end up trying them out, please let me know how they turned out!! Enjoy









S’mores Cupcakes -
This is taken straight out of the book. The writing that's highlighted a different colour is what I changed.


3⁄4 C. Brown Sugar
1⁄2 C. Canola Oil
2 T. Molasses
1⁄4 C. Soy Yogurt  ( I used regular Yogurt )
1 1⁄4 C. Soy milk  ( I used regular milk )
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 t. Baking Powder
1⁄2 t. Baking Soda
1⁄2 t. Cinnamon, ground
1⁄4 t. Salt
1⁄2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs  ( I used approx. 8-10 crackers, really didn't measure this! )

1. Preheat oven to 350C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Mix brown sugar, oil, molasses, yogurt, soy milk and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a separate bowl and mix. Add graham cracker crumbs and mix it up.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition.
5. Fill cupcake liners full. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Let cool completely before decorating.



Toppings 

Chocolate Drizzle

1/3 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Melt chocolate in microwave every 30second intervals. All microwaves are not the same, so watch that you don't burn it! Cool chocolate for approx. 10 minutes.  Pour into a  ziplock bag with the tip chopped
off and  drizzle. Chocolate will set when fully cooled.


The below frosting is what I used to cover the fondant cupcakes! As mentioned above, mine were not vegan, but you can do either way: )

Vegan Fluffy Butter cream Frosting 1⁄2 C. Non-Hydrogenated Shortening (I used Butter)
1⁄2 C. Non-Hydrogenated Margarine (we use Earth Balance) ( this you can get from Sobey's or any natural food stores)
3 1⁄2 C. Confectioners’ Sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1⁄2 t. Vanilla Extract
1⁄4 C. Plain Soy milk or Soy Creamer ( I used Heavy cream )


Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5 to 7 minutes or so until fluffy.



To Assemble


Spread or pipe a thick layer of Vegan Fluffy Butter cream Frosting onto each cupcake. We like to use a wide decorating tip to create a swirly mountain of yumminess. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the frosting. Drizzle with ganache or sprinkle with shaved chocolate and stick a graham cracker into each cupcake. You can eat immediately for the authentic s’mores warm chocolate thing or allow to
set. It tastes yummy either way.



The Whipped Pudding Frosting:
1 package of vanilla pudding ( make as per the instructions, but only use 1cup of milk)
1 cup of heavy cream

To get started make sure you put the whisk and steel bowl in the freezer, while that is getting cold make the pudding. Instead of making the pudding with 2 cups, use only 1 cup of milk and set aside. Whisk your heavy cream until stiff peaks, but watch to ensure that you don't over mix otherwise it'll create lumps.  Now, you're going to mix both the pudding and whipped cream together. An easy tip I find helpful is to add a bit of the whipped cream  into the pudding and mix well, this helps soften the pudding. Then mix pudding into the whipped cream. Use a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe away, I topped my cupcakes with a cherry, instead of the graham crackers.
This whipped pudding frosting is loved by all, especially the kids!!! So try it out and let me know what you guys think.
Enjoy


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Monday, January 24, 2011

Happy 25th Anniversary

To a very special couple,  Pardeep and Kavita who celebrated their 25th Anniversary over the weekend.


Today as both of you look back
with happiness and pride
Upon the twenty five years
That you've spent side by side,
May every memory that you share
Of dreams you've seen come true,
Help make this special Silver day
A happy one for you!
On Your Silver Anniversary



These chocolate cupcakes were made with 2 different Cream cheese frosting's. The coloured fondant with white flowers and the berries had Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and the strawberry dipped chocolates had the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting. I wanted to try out both of them for a while and this was a great opportunity to do so. So far its a tie as to which frosting was better: )

P.S.- the berry cupcake actually had fudge pieces by PC. Really yummy!!












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Domestic Fashionista

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Surprise!! Happy Birthday Anandita!!

Anandita, wishing you  a very Happy 12th Birthday. Hope you enjoy your special day and your cake!!

"When you walk... God will guide you. When you run... God will sustain you. And when you fly... Yes, when you fly... God will take you places you never dreamed. Have a wonder-filled birthday."




take care : )



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Monday, January 10, 2011

Pink and Brown Cupcakes & Cake

Hi Everyone
Hope you all are doing well!!
The following photos are for my cousins daughter 17th birthday. The colour theme was something that I had tried before and knew that she would really like this! I had asked her aunt and she confirmed that it would be a good choice!! I originally had planned on doing black and fuchsia but I only had the dark brown fondant from Satin Ice..... Has anyone tried this before, my god it tastes just like tootsie roll candy. Seriously! I love it : )
Anyway, hope you all like it!!








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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Zoo Animal Cupcakes

Happy 2nd Birthday Christian
I made cupcakes for a friends nephew who turned 2 years old and the theme was Zoo Animals. The idea came from someone on flickr by the name Ban Bakes- In Paris and I  kind of modified the animals a bit. The cupcakes are chocolate with a vanilla butter cream tinted a light sage green. The animals and the disk are all made out of fondant and I used black/brown edible marker to mark the spots and stripes!  These were so much fun to make, I really like the monkey he's my favourite : ) I did run into a small problem. I originally had frosted these with a whip cream pudding which I know kids absolutely love, however when I put the fondant pieces on top, they kept on sliding. I tried  putting them into the refrigerator and then the freezer but nothing worked!!! You will notice that the small cupcakes have a different frosting compared to the bigger ones!!! So an hour before my friend had to come my mom and I were frantically making the butter cream and guess what? the fondant pieces stuck and they turned out pretty good! So going forward, I've learned that the whipped cream pudding and fondant don't work too well together!! 



take care: ) 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Happy New Year : )

Happy New Year Everyone and hoping you all enjoyed your holidays. I`ve been busy trying to get things done around the house, shopping, getting myself organized, more shopping and of course sleeping!!!! Everyone knows that I`m an early riser (5:30am) be it work or holiday I still wake up at that time: ) So I`ve been sleeping really late (2-3 in the morning)  and then waking up late: ) which is around 8-9am!! ( i know pathetic, I don`t know how some of my friends can sleep till noon)
 Not sure if any of you made any new years resolutions but like every year I make a list and then I eventually come down to one thing that I actually complete : ) I think everyone might agree that its better to do at least one then none!  The idea is to list as many as you can and if you complete one, you can say that you did it!! lol!
So this year, I`m wishing everyone a happy, healthy and fulfilling year. I wish everyone the best and hope they strive to achieving their goals. Be it small or great, its one step at a time! Remember that its all about trying your best!!!
xoxo
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I have many passions in life, but what I’m passionate about is CAKES! I’m a self taught baker and I’m vegetarian! Cake decorating brings me into my own little world; it’s when my imagination and artistic abilities come to life.

Besides my obvious passion for all things sweet and sticky!!! I love to create (anything and everything), read, anything that is cute, clever and handmade. I also love a good idea!!!




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