Saint Patrick’s Day Cupcakes {Beer Mugs}

I made these cupcakes last year, but never shared the tutorial for them on my blog.  Since they are so easy and SO fun, I couldnt resist sharing them this year!

 
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Not only are these beer mug St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes fun and easy to do, but they’re actually made with beer, thanks to this fantastic Chocolate Stout Cake recipe from Sweetapolita!

Simply bake the cake according to direction, except put the batter into a cupcake pan. I did not use cupcake liners, but if you choose to, remember to remove them prior to assembling your beer mug.

Start off by getting a fist-full portion of green fondant.

Roll out your fondant on a clean working surface. If you need to, sprinkle cornstarch to keep the fondant from sticking.

Roll fondant to about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thickness, then cut into strips. The strip size will vary, depending on the height and width of your cupcake.

Now you want to add the mugs “panels” .  Just cut out mini portions of fondant and, using a tiny amount of water as “glue,’ adhere the strips to what will become the side of the mug.

 

Take your fondant strip and wrap it around your cupcake. Overlap the fondant by about 1/2 inch, and adhere edges with frosting or water.

Next you can add the handle! Just take your green fondant and roll out a “snake,” or long rounded strip. Form it into the handle shape and set out to dry. Since I was in a hurry to make these, I put the handles into my oven at 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes. This dried them out enough for them to retain their shape.

Using a small amount of frosting, I attached the handle to the side of the fondant mug.

To create the beer foam, just put your frosting into a sealable plastic bag and cut off one corner to make a hole. You want a fairly large opening — about 1/4 to 1/2 inch across.

Apply pressure to the bag and pipe out billows of frosting.   For an extra touch, let some drip down over the side. This technique is extremely forgiving, so have fun with it!

Be sure to let me know if you make them.  I would love to see!

Red Velvet Hi-Hat Cupcakes

I was feeding my sweet baby last Monday and happened upon Martha Bakes on the Hallmark Channel.

As *I* also enjoy baking on occasion, I was pretty excited to watch.  And Martha did not disappoint!  She showcased some delectable treats, including her Hi-Hat Cupcakes.

 
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I decided to give them a shot using the very popular flavor of Red Velvet.  And there is a reason Red Velvet is so popular… these are amazing!!

I used a version of this Red Velvet recipe for the cake.  I then used, and this is possibly my favorite change, Log House Cherry Flavored Baking Morsels for the chocolate candy coating.

For a long time now Cherry Dip has been my favorite cone at Dairy Queen, and now I know how to make it at home! *happy dance*

The only thing I did use from Martha’s original post was the Seven Minute Frosting recipe, with a slight alteration.

Seven Minute Frosting

Ingredients

  1. 2 1/2 cups sugar
  2. 6 large egg whites, room temperature
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  5. 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Put a sauce pan on stove with a couple inches of water and bring to a slow boil.
  2. In a large heat safe bowl (I used a glass bowl) mix together room temperature egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Whisk ingredients together by hand until nice and frothy.
  3. Set bowl over pan with barely boiling water and whisk until sugar is dissolved, about five minutes.
  4. Transfer liquid to your big electric mixer and beat on HIGH for about ten minutes. Add vanilla and whisk on HIGH for another five minutes.
http://iambaker.net/red-velvet-hi-hat-cupcakes

I found the light and airy frosting to be the perfect compliment to the deep, rich flavor of red velvet.

And, seeing as I am a HUGE fan of Cherry Dip, I could not get enough of this flavor combination.  If you are not a big fan, you can certainly use a semi-sweet chocolate and also have fantastic results.

Whatever you do decide on doing, dont forget the most important ingredient.

Love.

I kid.

Kinda.

Mini Heart Cake

Another year has come and gone.

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So many things have changed since I first posted my Rose Cake on this day last year.

had a baby.

Got a new job.

And have gotten to know some amazing people.

You guys.

Thanks for the support.  The laughter.  The challenges.  The inspiration.

I am so thankful that you are willing to share some of yourself here.

So today (Feb. 1st) , on my thirty-fifth birthday, I want you to know that

You are my gift.

Thank you!

Snow Globe Cake Tutorial

You know how much I love putting surprises in cakes.  But sometimes, they can get hard to do and the last thing I want to do is add any stress to your baking!  So that is why I love the option of Rice Crispy treats.

 
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The best description I can think of is this: If you can play with play doh, you can make a beautiful rice kripsy cake.

I made up four batches of Rice Krispy Treats.

1/4 batch of green.

3/4 batch of blue.

(Separate into sections after making then mix in food color.  For regalar size batches, you can add food color when you add the marshmallows)

So, as you can see, this is a BIG Rice Krispy cake!

I started by making a green base for the snow globe.  I made sure it fit inside an 8in cake pan, as I wanted the cake to have an 8in diameter.

I built up the snowman by simply creating round balls of krispy treats, starting big then making one smaller, then smaller than that.

After building the snowman, I set him on the “base” and starting building around him with the blue krispy treats.

Once the “globe” has been made, simply fill in around it with the remaining plain krispy treats.

I used the 8in cake pans as my guide for the shape of the cake.  That little piece of tape is there to let me know what is top and what is bottom.

Then simply place on cake stand and decorate as you normally would.

This is a GREAT way to get your ‘feet wet’ in terms of inside cake decorating.  You really get a good idea of how to think three dimensional-y!

As for me… I must extend my sincere apologies.  I have been MIA in the worst way… neglecting everything from my blog, facebook, twitter, and pinterest to my home, laundry, dishes, date night… you name it.

Hoping that in 30 short days life will get back to normal.  Also hoping you can see me through the social media dry spell.

Heres to a fun,  fabulous,  and fattening New Year!

Um, I think I got that wrong.

Here’s to a fun, fabulous, and FIT New Year.

Yeah, thats what I meant.

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