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Starring Lemon Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
You may have noticed that my new theme is...and will continue for the next few month's to be..."little people" and cupcakes! I'm having way too much fun with this idea. This particular yellow cupcake is vanilla stuffed with lemon curd (I bought the lemon curd in a jar!).
The cupcake recipe is from A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes: Deliciously Decorated Crowd Pleasers for Parties and Holidays by Dede Wilson...it's her basic yellow cupake recipe.
For the frosting, I used Wilton's Buttercream Icing: Here's the recipe: 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. solid shortening 1 tsp. vanilla 4 c. (approx. 1 lb.) sifted confectioners' sugar 2 tbsp. milk In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all the sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to decorate. Refrigerate when not in use. Keeps for up to 2 weeks in an air tight container. Re-whip before using. Makes 3 cups.
This mini-cake is for my friend Autumn's birthday...she's 29 today! Her initials are AR...I call her aray...we surpised her today...with the mini-cake...she has never been able to eat any of my cupcakes because she can't eat salt...she has a heart problem...this was my first baking attempt with no salt! It turned out very nicely. I got the recipe out of the Small Batch Baking cookbook by Debby Maugans Nakos. She bakes mini cakes in cans

You can see more of these photos on my flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakequeen/

Rock On!

CQ

Happy Moo Year!

Yes...it's a Happy Moo Year so far, isn't it? We are looking forward to a great year! More cupcakes and more frosting! Over the holiday, our family had really fantastic news. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer early in November. She had the lump removed but one of her lymph nodes was malignant. We anxiously waited for the results of her PET scan and just before Christmas, the doctor said it looked like everything was clear now. She's beginning radiation tomorrow, but everything is looking brighter, and she's doing fantastic! What a great Christmas present that was!


These cupcakes are devils food (cake mix). I added a 1/4 cup of mayonaise and a cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter, but other wise I followed the box recipe.

The frosting is is from Clare Crespo's Hey There, Cupcake! book. It is her vanilla buttercream frosting. I split the frosting into two bowls...one for the green frosting and one for the men&work cupcake (see below). I wanted to make it a mocha (moo-cha) flavor, so first I added some of Starbucks Cream Liqueur...that flavor was right but the color was still too white for the men@work cupcakes...so then I added Starbucks Coffee Liqueur...the taste was still great but the color didn't change. So my last resort was the mix up a tiny amount of espresso instant coffee with a little hot water. That was the ticket....I got a nice almost maple color and excellent mocha taste! The cow frosting was easy...I just made it green!

The decorating was just plain cow fun! Have you herd the one about....I've been reading cow jokes all day...

Here is a shot of the other cupcake I was working on...men@work makin' cupcakes! You can see more of my photos on my flickr account by clicking HERE.

n e waz...the Cupcake Queen hopes that you all enjoy a prosperous New Year 2007! Look for more "little" decorations this year. It's my next project!

Oh yeah...I forgot to tell you...hi ARAY...come by my office and see how Cupcake Queen SCORED the Tickle Me Elmo Boy from my very sweet sister, Robin...also known as Little Rotten Robin! Elmo is soooo funny!

Vanilla Marshmallow Cupcakes with Chocolate Peppermint Frosting

This was such a leap of faith! Made Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes and threw in...literally a cup and a half of mini-marshmallows...just for something different. Brave, wasn't I??

Then, I made Billy's Chocolate Buttercream frosting and threw in some peppermint stuff. They turned out great! I heaped the frosting on to them.






Then, I love the "little people"... found them at the hobby store a few months ago...remembered them and thought it would be funny to have them skiing and skating on these holiday cupcakes!



I hope that you all have happy holidaze!



Rock On!

CQ

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes with Snowmen

I've been so busy on a project at work that I've hardly had time to think about cupcakes! However, I was in Whole Foods last week and found the cutest cupcakes and decided that I would try to make one that looked just liked them...And, they came out perfectly. What great therapy!


I used Billy's Vanilla Vanilla cupcake and frosting recipes. It took some time to get the frosting to the right consistency...it has to be pretty airy.



The project I've been working on is for the Univeristy of Maryland. Every year my office produces the president's holiday e-card. This year our group came up with a pretty funny idea that meant we had to go out and photograph all over the place! You'll see what I mean when you check it out on YouTube...here's the link to the end result of our project: Click here!



And, what would cupcakes be without Layla...she loves the cupcake! More cupcakes this weekend!

Rock On!

CQ

Dark Dark Chocolate Holiday Mini-Cupcakes with Peppermint Bark Frosting...Yummie!

I simply love peppermint bark...I'm not kidding...I can't wait for the holidays when it shows up at Crate and Barrel...and my hand instinctively reaches for that box every time I go in here...so this year I decided to experiment with some on a dark, dark chocolate cupcake. I "found" (ahem) Ghirardelli's Limited Edition Peppermint Bark Squares at the World Market this weekend when I got home I put some in the freezer for about 10 minutes, I crushed them up and put them on top of my pink buttercream frosting. They were a huge hit for dessert this evening...a sweet, little taste of holidaze coming our way!


This experiment was pretty easy because I used a dark dark chocolate CAKE MIX! I added some sour cream and...here's the real kick...a cup of white chocolate chips...I know it sounds crazy but it all worked out just fine!



I made the mini cupcakes this time because I figured these would be kind of "rich"...and they were...and I wanted to pile on the frosting. You can check out the rest of the "Bark" cupcakes on my flickr web page at: hflickr.com/photos/cupcakequeen.



I also did a few without the bark...and used white nonpareils because I have one particular person who doesn't like mint...and I like to keep all my peeps happy! You can buy the nonpareils at Michaels or order them from Wilton's web site. Now I'm gearing up for a REAL holiday cupcake in the next couple of weeks. Are you whipping up anything special? Let me know!


Rock On!

CQ

Cool Tool: Slide...Watch Layla's Cupcake Slide Show!

My New Uggs: Tattooed with a Cupcake!

Last winter I really wanted a pair of Uggs...I have a pair of Uggs slippers that Layla tried to chew up and they are still so cozy. But I didn't buy the Uggs last winter. So, when I was in Nordstom's in Montgomery Mall (newly named Westfield Mall but everyone still calls it Montgomery Mall) a couple of weeks ago...I got the Ugg's Bugg and decide to bite the bullet and get a pair!

I decided on a pair of "classic" short Uggs in Chestnut. The sales person told me that I could get a tattoo for my new friends...a promotion that day meant the tattoo was free...so I went over to the table and met the artist Phill...Nordstrom's commissioned him to customize the UGGs they sell. Phill sometimes sits in the Nordstrom shoe department for seven or eight hours. He uses Prisma Color pens, up to twelve colors...it takes him 30 minutes to two hours to decorate a pair of boots, depending on the design. And, he's very cute!


So I asked him if he could do me a cupcake and he said yes! I haven't worn them yet ... it's still pretty warm here in D.C....hopefully, it will get cold soon so that I can wear my cupcake UGGS! If you go to Nordstroms to get your new UGGS and see Phill, tell him the Cupcake Queen says Hey!

Now go Rock on,

CQ

Here they are....the Super-Duper Cupcakes Cookbook Winners!!!!

Here are the Super-Duper Cupcakes cookbook winners, pulled randomly...or is that randomly pulled?...out of the hat today...anyway...they WON!! Now, go say hi to them~

Melanie Hess—Here's her blog: My Ramblings

and

Surcie—Here's her blog: Surcie...A Little Treat, Just Because

Ladies, please send your addresses to 52cupcakes@gmail.com so that I can send you your autographed books!

Great job, everyone!

CQ