Extra extra extra (XXX) Large (L) cupcake for
Catherine and Eric's engagement!
Made with the Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan from Target!
Cupcake Queen received a beautiful cupcake necklace from her friends in the Women's Studies Dept. at the University of Maryland for Valentine's Day! You are all so sweet...
Gingerbread cookies, gingerbread cupcakes...too much fun for the Cupcake Queen! And, the Limoncello Cream Cheese Frosting...WOW!
We were even dipping the little gingerbread boys into the frosting! So, first I made the ginger snap cookies! I found the cookies cutters at Michaels!(recipe below)
Then I made the Martha Stewart gingerbread cupcakes! (see recipe below)
Then I made the frosting...with Layla's help, of course! Isn't she adorable!
RECIPES
Ginger Snaps:
3 cups (420 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.
Bake for about 6-8 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 6 minutes, larger cookies will take about 8 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Martha Stewart Gingerbread Cupcakes:
Makes 12
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulphered molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 recipe Butter Glaze
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.
Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Caravella Limoncello Creamcheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon Caravella Limoncello
With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese and butter until softened. Slowly add the sugar, zest, juice and Limoncello and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.
Hope you have a great week!
Rock on, CQ!
This is the holiday e-card that my office has been working on the for past six weeks or so...these are some of the people included in our video: Connie Chung and Maury Povich on Maury's TV show set, Congressman Steny Hoyer on the U.S. Capitol steps, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Mike Miller, Maryland Senate President, Mike Busch, Maryland House Speaker, Gordon England, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense filmed at the Pentagon, UM Professor of International Business Peter Morici, UM Men's Basketball Coach Gary Williams and team, UM Women's Basketball Coach Brenda Frese and team, 2008 National Champs Soccer Coach Sasho Cirovski and team, and 2008 National Champs Field Hockey Coach Missy Meharg and team!
You can go to the site and personalize the ending of the video....go here: www.holidaygreeting.umd.edu
Enjoy! CQ
