I promised my brother that I would make horsey-type cupcakes...because he and his wife Mary own and love horses...that promise just happened to coincide with the birthday of one of Cupcake Queen's friend's daughter, who is six years old today! She also loves horses!
These little ponies are called Pony in My Pocket Charm Fashions...because one can wear them on a bracelet or a necklace.
The cupcakes are Martha Stewart's Strawberry Cupcake recipe (see below). They are very moist and delicious!
The first part of the frosting is Martha's chocolate frosting (recipe below.) After I frosted the cupcakes, I melted a jar of Marshmallow Fluff and then dipped the frosted cupcake into the fluff for a few seconds!
Then I decorated the cupcakes with all kinds of colored sugars! This was pretty much fun and was so easy. I knew I needed a white surface for the sugars...and I still wanted the chocolate frosting!
Layla really wants that Pony in Her Pocket cupcake!
While Nigel could have cared less...he only cares about chipmunks!
Here are the recipes:
Martha Stewart's Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Makes 2 dozen
* 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup milk
* 8 large egg whites
* Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
* 24 small fresh strawberries, washed (hulls intact), for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
4. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then reinvert and let cool completely, top sides up.
Martha Stewart's Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Makes 1 1/2 cups
* 3 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
* 1 pinch of salt
* 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1/4 cup sour cream
Directions
1. Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl set over pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly.
2. Sift sugar, cocoa, and salt into a large bowl. Put cream cheese and butter into mixer bowl; mix on medium until fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar mixture; mix until combined. Mix in melted chocolate and sour cream. Use immediately, or refrigerate airtight up to 2 days; bring to room temperature, and stir before using.
Marshmallow Fluff Topping
1 jar of Marshmallow Fluff
Heat in a tall, small pan until the fluff is easy to stir. Dip the frosted cupcakes one at a time into the fluff. Let the cupcakes sit for a few moments and then pour the colored sugar over the fluff.
Remember...this should not be stressful...just have fun and see what happens.
Hope you have a great week!
CQ
Pony In My Pocket Martha Stewart Strawberry Birthday Cupcakes
Baby Shower Martha Stewart Cupcakes Heading to North Carolina!
These cupcakes are all so happy that they are going to Durham, North Carolina for Shelley's baby shower which is tomorrow...she and Dav-EE are having a baby girl at the end of August. Then we'll be able to say "Hello Genevieve!" I can't wait!
Pre-baking I went to Michaels to pick up the naked little babies that I have used on baby shower cupcakes before...but they were no where to be found...CQ was not happy. She had to cruise the aisles...which she usually doesn't mind...quite a while until......
she found these wooden baby heads at Michaels AND they also had the red doll baby hair. CQ cut off little wisps and super-glued a ringlet to each of their heads...Shelley has red hair...and Dav-EE has a reddish tinge in his hair.
The cupcakes are Martha Stewart's Vanilla Cupcakes and the frosting is Pink Lemonade Frosting! The recipes are below. Hope you enjoy them!
Here's the recipe for the Martha Stewart Vanilla Cupcakes:
Ingredients
Makes 24
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.
2. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Here is the recipe for the Pink Lemonade Frosting:
Ingredients:
* 1/3 c. butter
* 4 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
* 1/4 c. fresh lemon juices
* 1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peels
Beat butter in a mixing bowl until it is fluffy.
Add 2 c. of the powdered sugar gradually, beating constantly.
Slowly beat in lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla.
Slowly beat in the rest of the powdered sugar. If necessary, add a little more lemon juice if frosting is not spreadable.
No matter where you go there you are.
CQ
Summer Time Gone Phishin' Chocolate Cupcakes
Okay...I know these are over the top...not only with the fishing people, but the poor canoe-ers who might capsize...did they? Who's to say...at least the cupcakes got eaten! I call these two Bob and Carol...do not ask me why.
Ruff waters ahead!! These are Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate (chocolate chocolate) cupcakes with mini-chips thrown in for good measure! The frosting is Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Frosting dyed blue and/or green. And the surprise is that there is a pretzel Goldfish inside some of the cupcakes! They taste pretty good with chocolate!
Oh No, Mr. Bill...I fear Bob and Carol might be meeting...who is that? Cupid...hmmm....how strange a fate for the cupcake canoeing couple....
Layla doesn't care at all about Bob and Carol...she just wants to eat them and the cupcake!
Ingredients
Makes 2 dozen
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about one-third full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
The frosting recipe was in last week's posting!
Have a great week and remember to say Happy Birthday to my brother if you see him in Spokane!
CQ
So Sweet: Sugar Cookie Cupcakes!
For some reason, I've been thinking about sugar cookies! Maybe because Laura's mom, aka Granny, sent down some almond sugar cookie-type cookies from New York ...speaking of New York...did you hear about the New Yorker Magazine cover of Obama? All I can say is "what were they thinking???......and Granny's cookies made me think of sugar cookies...but back to cupcakes...then, of course...I connected them to sugar cookies in cupcakes and pictured these cupcakes with pink frosting. I think Layla must have been thinking about them, too! BTW: Happy Birthday, Ali!
Also, I found this sweet little Caserta Cup And Saucer at Anthropologie and I just knew it would fit in with pink cupcakes!
So, all I had to do is make the cookies and the cupcakes and frosting. I used Martha Stewart recipes for the sugar cookies and the vanilla cupcakes and Billy's (of Billy's Bakery NYC) for the vanilla, vanilla frosting. Beow are the recipes.
While I was in Vegas recently, we saw the show called "Jersey Boys"...It was awesome! Here's a mix I made online...thanks to Surcie...Marie: this is for you):
Have a great week, and remember to Rock ON!
CQ
Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Makes about 20 (3 1/2-inch) cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Martha Stewart's Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Makes 24
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl, beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
Makes enough for 30 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.
