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Written on December 1, 2011 by Kate

I’ve tried to instill in the boy that it’s better to give than receive, but a few days ago it became quite obvious that I haven’t done a very good job. I sent him to school with fifteen dollars cash to spend in the school’s holiday shop and when he came home, he proceeded to empty the contents of a rather large shopping bag. A small rope toy for the Naughty One fell out and the rest of the things he bought were gifts to self. So apparently, he missed the entire point of the holiday gift-giving shop.

Don’t get me wrong, I too have embraced the gift-to-self concept. I just believe in gifts for everyone, including self. So in the spirit of giving ~ gifts to yourself or to others, here are a few things anyone who loves to bake would appreciate.

I know a lot of baking friends that share in my fetish for cake plates. I love this Rosanna Rococo one in black, so classy!

Baking is messy, so if you’re going to get messy, at least do it in style. This Reversible apron is from Debbie’s Etsy storefront, DebzDoodlez . She has lots of other prints to choose from.

You might have read one of my posts about this before, but it’s worth repeating. I think this Wilton 50 piece decorating kit is the best out there for someone getting start. It’s reasonably priced and comes with tips, couplers, gel colors, spatulas, bags, and more!
Ruffles are all the rage, and this ruffle pie plate is on sale for $19.99 and ships for free. If you know someone with a cake plate fetish, it’s probably an issue with pie plates too.

If you’re looking for cookbooks, here are two great reads. As much as I love pretty cookbooks, I find most of the recipes I try from the Internet. These two books are not your traditional cookbooks. They explain the science behind cooking and baking so you can be successful in creating your own recipes. Ratio came out in 2010 and Ruhlman’s Twenty was just released this fall.

This is the only baking sheet worthy enough to go in my oven. These Airbake sheets are only $14.99 at Target and by far the best and only sheet I will use at this point. Just don’t submerge it when you clean it, trust me on this!

I love my Babycake Cake Pop Maker. When I bought one for my sister’s birthday in September, I bought one for me too. Happy Birthday to me! They are currently sold out online at Kohl’s, but they should have them in stock in the store. It’s on sale for $26.00 and with the $10.00 coupon they send every month, that makes a great present for a great deal. If you can’t find it at Kohl’s, you can also buy it at the BabyCakes online store.

When decorating cookies, I could not live without Kuhn Rikon squeeze bottles. Sur La Table is selling a new cupcake set which includes a cupcake corer and silicone baking cups. It’s $30… a great price for everything you get.

Anyone who bakes will tell you that measuring cups are not all created equal. I happen to think Williams Sonoma makes some of the best. They have a gift set right now with all of the cups and spoons for $39.00. It’s worth the investment.

Prince Charming, really you can skip the jewelry this year and get me this. Yes, I’m picking a Kitchen Aid mixer over diamonds. This KitchenAid® 7-Quart Bowl-Lift NSF Commercial Stand Mixer is the Rolls Royce of Kitchen Aids. Now I happen to LOVE my aqua blue 5 qt Martha Stewart Kitchen Aid. If there was a fire in the house, I’d grab the boy, the Naughty One, and the mixer. That’s how much it means to me. But I’m pretty sure I could fall in love with this one too. Christi from Love From the Oven was given one to try out (I am seriously jealous!) She wrote a great review of it on her site. The best part is this can make up to 14 dozen cookies at a time. But if you don’t generally make 14 dozen cookies at a time, go check out the rest of the stand mixers that Kitchen Aid has to offer. You’ve got to love the rainbow of colors.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

Gift Ideas, Holidays, Other, Products

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Written on February 7, 2011 by Kate

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Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. It doesn’t matter if Prince Charming hasn’t appeared on my doorstep yet. I am a hopeless romantic, and still believe there is someone I’m destined to be with. I’m not the naive hopeless romantic who believes there is only one person out there for everyone. I think a lot of it has to do with timing, falling in love with someone who’s at the same place you are, and someone who’s heading in the same direction. The truth is I’m in no rush to find him. Unless, I wait another eight years, I’m not just looking for Mr. Right for Me. I’ve got a boy and his Naughty Dachshund to consider… and that completely overwhelms me. So for the next eight years, we’ll have to see if Mr Right for Us rings our doorbell, and if those two approve.

Partly, what has freaked me out about the whole idea of finding someone is watching my son struggle to deal with two other people, who he didn’t pick, in his dad’s life. I’ve watched his dad struggle too, knowing how much he loves our boy and having to accept things that played out in his life. The boy won’t be picking who we let into our life, but I’ve given him my word, if it ever happens, he is my number one priority.

Thankfully, the boy was blessed with a sense of humor, and as he has gotten older and understood more, it’s helped him cope with some of the challenges he’s been handed. Last week he shared with me some criteria that Mr. Right for Us would have to meet to gain access into our world. Top of the list… he has to have the means and willingness to put a pool in our backyard. This, of course, I fully concur with. Additionally, Mr. Right for Us cannot have a dog, unless it is a wiener dog, and the Naughty One has final say about adding another pup to the family. In terms of children, the boy prefers Mr. Right for Us has no children, however, if he happens to have children the boy’s age, and if the boy decides he likes them, he may make an exception. Probably the most challenging of all, Mr. Right For Us has to embrace our not so typical family dynamic. The boy, his dad, and I will remain a team, enjoying our lives together and parenting the boy as long as he needs our guidance (which pretty much means for life).

Upon telling my mom this story, she convinced the boy to add additional criteria. Apparently, the grandparents now have veto power in whomever we choose (which means I could be single for a VERY long time).

Whoever your sweetie is this Valentine’s Day, this is a quick dessert that’s sure to please. I made up a batch of brownies, using this Wilton silicone mold, which I definitely recommend (just spray well with non-stick spray). You can also make a batch of brownies in a pan and either cut or use cookie cutters to create the shapes you like. Using Wilton candy melts, dip strawberries and marshmallows and add sprinkles before it sets. Here’s the key, skewer the marshmallows and strawberries before they are completely set, otherwise the chocolate will break into pieces. The best way to do this is to dip a few at a time so that they partially set, and then skewer. This can be made the day before and then refrigerated, but not much farther in advance or the strawberries will become soggy.

For more specifics on making chocolate-covered strawberries (they’re really easy!), read through this post for tips. If you don’t know, I have a bit of a chocolate-covered strawberry fetish so there are several other yummy recipes I’ve posted.

Have a great week everyone!

I’m working on editing pictures from my girlfriend, Tammy’s shower that I hosted this weekend ~ Can’t wait to share!

Brownies & Bars, chocolate, Desserts Galore, Holidays, Products, Recipes, Tips

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Written on January 23, 2011 by Kate

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Happy Monday! If you came here expecting something sweet, my Kitchen Aid is still resting while I enjoy the last three days with our friends before they move East.

If you’ve come here for something absolutely adorable and free you’re going to love what I’ve found! These are three of the most talented bloggers that I stalk visit on a weekly basis. I always leave their sites inspired with new ideas to add to my never-ending “to-try” list.

Thank you Amy, Kathleen & Laurie for making Valentine’s even sweeter!

iPhone Valentine Printable designed by Amy at LivingLocurto.com

This is what my son will be giving to his friends (I haven’t showed him yet, but this valentine is going to make him the coolest kid around). Each little iPhone box holds a box of conversation hearts. Amy even designed each app. icon with a Valentine’s theme.

Valentine Brownie Bags from Kathleen at Twig & Thistle

Do you remember Kathleen’s adorable valentine brownie bags from last year? She updated her design for 2011. To make it even easier, she sells these brown bags in her Etsy store with instructions on how to print them. They are also available in white and cost $5.oo for 25. Make a batch of homemade brownies and this becomes an inexpensive treat for your list of valentines.

Heart Cupcake Toppers posted at Tip Junkie and created by Kate at Smitten Blog Designs

Tip Junkie is one of those places I often discover creative bloggers to add to my weekly stalking visiting list. I’m amazed at how Laurie manages so many different topics on her blog. These cute cupcake toppers were created by Kate at Smitten Blog Designs. I love the color combo!

Enjoy this last week of January! Hope it’s filled with sunshine!

A Few of My Favorites..., Gift Ideas, Holidays, Other, Parties

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Written on January 2, 2011 by Kate

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Hope everyone had a great New Year’s. We had fun ringing in the New Year with friends. The boy lasted until midnight, which he was very happy about. I brought along these shimmery star cupcakes to celebrate. The gold star cupcake toppers were made using Wilton white candy melts. White chocolate can be substituted, but the candy melts are very easy to work with. The candy melts were melted in the microwave and poured into a piping bag. I printed out stars in the size that I wanted on the computer and placed a piece of wax paper on top of the printout. I outlined the star shapes by piping the chocolate using a small tip. Chocolate was then added to the center of the stars and spread to the edges. The gold sparkly effect was made by sprinkling gold sanding sugar on top before the chocolate set. Once they were completely dried, I removed them with a small spatula and they were ready to add to the cupcakes. The small gold confetti stars are another Wilton product that I love.

I used this same technique last winter to make chocolate snowflake cupcake toppers and have photos that show the same steps in that post. The snowflakes turned out beautiful. I did have some breakage making the chocolate snowflakes because of their shape, but made plenty of extra. I expected a little breakage with the stars, but all of them worked and were very stable once set.

The cupcake recipe started with a cake mix, but was then fancied up a bit. I used Duncan Hine’s Devil’s food cake mix and the amount of eggs and oil called for on the package. The package calls for 1 1/3 cup water. I used a cup of water and substituted Bailey’s liqueur for the remaining 1/3 cup. I also stirred 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter before baking. Another great option I discovered last year was to use Godiva’s white chocolate liqueur to make the cupcakes. I have added soda, juice, and alcohol, tea, and coffee to cupcakes and have had a lot of success by keeping the amount of additional liquid the same as the amount of water that the recipe calls for. I usually grab my Wilton 1M tip to frost cupcakes (as seen in the snowflake cupcake photo). For these fancy cupcakes, I opted for the Wilton 2D tip. I love the ruffly effect it makes.

The last day of our break has been spent running around getting ready to go back to school and back to work. I have made sure my coffee maker is set to brew right before my alarm goes off in the morning. I’m hoping the early dose of caffeine will help me get out the door in time. I can’t wait to get back into the regular routine, but have a feeling making myself cute before 8AM may pose a challenge. If that’s my greatest challenge of the week, it’s going to be a good one!

Wishing you a happy week ahead!

chocolate, Cupcakes, Desserts Galore, Holidays, Parties, Products, Recipes, Tips

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Written on December 27, 2010 by Kate

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Hope everyone had a great Christmas. It’s several days later and I’m still not hungry. My sweet tooth is no longer sweet, and I have absolutely no urge to turn on my Kitchen-Aid (which is kind of a bummer when you have a dessert blog). At this point, I realize a lot of people are looking for the secret to curbing one’s appetite, This eight-layer cake with chocolate frosting could be the answer. I know it sounds a bit paradoxical, eating something loaded with sugar to control your appetite, but it’s working for me!

I decided to forgo cupcakes and mini desserts and go BIG for our Christmas Eve celebration. With the help of my girlfriends and mom, we put together a great family-style Italian dinner. We enjoyed a great night with the kids running around giddy waiting for Santa to arrive. After Italian food and this dessert though, I’d never felt so full in my life.

I found the recipe for this layer cake on Saveur.com, one of my favorite foodie sites, and didn’t need to search any further. As if eight layers of yellow cake and homemade chocolate frosting aren’t enough, bits of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are sprinkled throughout the layers and garnished on top.

The cake originates from Smith Island, Maryland and has been made for generations, dating back to the nineteenth century. I have yet to try the Smith Island Baking Company’s cakes, but take a look at the varieties they offer, and try not to drool on your keyboard. They look amazing!

The cake itself is actually pretty easy to make. The traditional chocolate frosting is made on the stove, but I opted for one of my favorite chocolate frostings instead. I’m not going to lie though, it’s time consuming ~ the finished product is worth every minute you put into it. I made the cake layers the day before and carefully wrapped each individual layer in Saran Wrap. The cake tasted completely fresh the next day. On Christmas Eve, I made the frosting and put it all together. I was thrilled with how it looked and tasted! Cutting into it is definitely a show-stopper.

If you’re looking for just the right dessert for New Year’s, this is a great way to end 2010. I’m hoping to be hungry and back in my kitchen before New Year’s whipping up something sweet.

Cheers to a great end of 2010!

Smith Island Cake (from Saveur.com)

8 large Reese’s peanut butter cups, frozen
Nonstick cooking spray
1?4 cup flour
1 18 1?4-oz. box yellow cake mix, preferably
Duncan Hines
2 cups plus 3 tbsp. evaporated milk
16 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1?2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1?4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1. Pulse 4 peanut butter cups in a food processor into small chunks; transfer to a bowl. Pulse remaining peanut butter cups into a fine powder; transfer to another bowl. Chill both until ready to use.

2. Heat oven to 350°. Grease four 8″ round cake pans with cooking spray, dust with half the flour, and knock out any excess. Set aside. Put cake mix, 1 1?2 cups evaporated milk, half the butter, vanilla, salt, eggs, and 1?3 cup water into a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 10–12 minutes. Divide half the batter between prepared cake pans. Set remaining batter aside. Using the back of a spoon, spread out batter so that it covers the bottom of each pan, making it slightly thicker around the edges than in the middle. Bake until cooked through and golden around edges, 12–14 minutes. Set aside to let cool slightly, then loosen cake layers with a knife and invert onto cooling racks. Wash and dry cake pans. Repeat process a second time with cooking spray and remaining flour and batter.

3. When all 8 cake layers have cooled, make the icing. Combine remaining milk, sugar, and cocoa in a medium pot; stir well, then add remaining butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and icing is shiny, 4–5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir well.

4. Spread a cake layer with about 1?4 cup of icing; sprinkle with about 1 tbsp. powdered peanut butter cups. Top with another cake layer and repeat process to make 8 layers in all. Frost outside of cake with remaining icing; sprinkle top with peanut butter cup chunks. Let sit for 2–3 hours before serving. The cake can be stored for up to a week refrigerated in an airtight container.

Here is the link to the chocolate frosting recipe I love.

Cakes, Candy, Desserts Galore, frosting, Holidays, Parties, Products, Recipes

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Written on December 1, 2010 by Kate

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Tis’ the season to be __________. Fill in the blank; I’m going to say busy! The beginning of December always marks the beginning of the holiday party season ~ office parties, neighborhood parties, cookie exchanges, classroom parties, dinners with friends, and don’t forget the three big celebrations ~ Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and New Year’s Eve. I often find myself scrambling at the last minute to put together some sort of hostess gift to take along. If I haven’t planned ahead, I’m usually grabbing a bottle of wine while running out the door. For some people, wine is a fabulous hostess gift. (FYI…Feel free to come over to my house anytime with a bottle of wine.) When it’s possible, it’s great to bring the host or hostess something that’s personal. It doesn’t have to cost a lot, but will let the person know that you took time to make it extra special.

Last weekend, a friend came by and brought these Lolita “Naughty and Nice” wine glasses ~ they’re plastic! Not only did my friend know I love wine, but also knew my happy hour regularly convenes in my cul de sac, catching up with neighbors, while the kids burn off some energy… thus, the need for plastic. If you’re not familiar with the Lolita company, they have a huge selection of festive martini and wine glasses. Each glass has a particular theme and a cocktail recipe on the bottom. They make a great hostess gifts!

Here are a few other fun hostess gift ideas and some great gift sites to check out:

There are a ton of fun bottle openers that would make fun, inexpensive gifts for your wine lovin’ friends. I found this cute, penguin bottle opener at Pop Deluxe. One of my girlfriend’s house is full of penguins (as a result of her six year-old’s obsession). This and a bottle of KJ would be perfect to take along on a visit.

Staying at someone’s house over the holidays? I love this pancake pen from cooking.com. Pancakes are a staple in our house, not only do we eat them for breakfast, but they also find their way onto our dinner table some nights. This novelty item is the perfect gift for a sleep-over.

This magnetic kissing dachshund salt and pepper shaker set was given to me from someone who knows that we have a naughty dachshund, who thinks she runs my house. There are some pretty crazy salt and pepper sets out there. Take a look at this post on oddee.com and you’ll see what I mean.

Another clever gift, for a friend who always looks on the bright side, is this half full glass. The glass is never half empty; it’s always half full. This comes from one of my new favorite websites, The Spoon Sisters. If you’re looking for that special gift or just something fun and different to give, this is a great site to search.

Any other great ideas for hostess gifts? I’d love to hear them!

A Few of My Favorites..., Gift Ideas, Holidays, Parties, Products

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Written on August 29, 2010 by Kate

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Last week, during the Orange County heat wave, I was in my kitchen making these peppermint Christmas cookies. No, I wasn’t delirious from the heat, just excited about this holiday baker’s give-away that Wilton is sponsoring. After these cookies dried, they were packed up and brought to my dad. I could tell he thought it was odd to receive Christmas cookies in August, but the man is smart and he knows better than to question homemade cookies.

There are 116 shopping days or baking days until Christmas, depending on how you want to look at it. I have gone without a paycheck since June, and am officially poor. (It’s not easy being a teacher!) The word “shopping” has been banned from my vocabulary, so I prefer to think in terms of baking days. I know it seems like there’s plenty of time before the holiday madness starts, but it always seems to sneak up on us.

These peppermint candy cookies are festive for the holiday, but you can use any colors to coordinate with your party theme, and they’d make cute cookie favors. I tried two different decorating techniques for two different effects.

The fabulous people at Wilton are letting me give away one of my most used baking items… this 50 Piece Tool Caddy Decorating Set. This kit will keep your baking tools totally organized, so you’re not always searching for what you need. I keep my caddy in a kitchen cabinet right above my Kitchen Aid, and pull it out whenever I’m decorating.

Here’s what’s inside this 50 piece set:

• A bunch of decorating tips organized in a removable tray

• Flower nail

• Disposable bags and a reusable soft touch bag

• Tip brush for cleaning decorating tips

• Couplers

• Spatula

• 4 of the most popular Wilton gel icing colors

• Beginner’s guide to decorating

This kit is perfect for both beginning and advanced bakers. If you already have a baking tool caddy, this would make a fabulous Christmas present, and you’d be able to check someone off your gift-giving list.

But this is a holiday give-away, right? To get you inspired for all of your holiday cookie baking, Wilton is also including a copy of the Wilton book, Cookie Exchange. It is full of original cookie ideas, and step by step photo instructions.

Here’s how to enter*:

You have a total of 4 chances to win:

(Be sure to leave a separate comment for each.)

We have a winner! Random.org selected comment #105, Miss Jillian. Check out her adorable blog if you have a chance www.missjilliandesigns.blogspot.com . Thanks for playing along everyone. Grin and Bake it will be hosting a fall give-away soon, so stay tuned!

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Wilton product is. Here’s the link if you want to shop!

2. Follow Grin and Bake it ~ Join the Grin and Bake it Facebook group, follow me on Twitter, or sign up for the RSS feed. Scroll down on the sidebar and click under “Follow Me”. (If you’re already a follower, let me know in a comment how you follow the blog.)

3. Subscribe to Grin and Bake It and receive emails when new posts are published. To subscribe, scroll down on the sidebar to “subscribe” and enter your email address. I promise this is totally safe! Post a comment letting me know you subscribed.

4. Tweet this give-away “Christmas comes early… Enter to win Wilton’s holiday giveaway @grinandbakeit http://wp.me/pnls6-2O1

Contest ends on Friday, September 3rd at 9 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. The winner will be selected randomly at random.org, and will be posted on this post. I will send the winner an email letting him/her know that he/she has won. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email, otherwise, a second winner will be selected.

*This contest is only open to people living in the U.S. (I do apologize to my Canadian blogging friends.)

cookies, Gift Ideas, Give-Aways, Holidays, Products, Recipes

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Written on July 5, 2010 by Kate

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A few weeks ago, I had a few girlfriends over for a wine and cupcake tasting party. I baked up four different flavors of cupcakes, and paired each flavor with a wine to bring out or complement the cupcake’s flavor. Cupcakes, wine, and a few girlfriends are a perfect combo for a great night. I have been dreaming up a lot of cupcake flavors, and this gave me the perfect chance to try a few.

Have you read the book The Lovely Bones? My book club read it awhile back. I had mixed feeling about the book, and usually try to avoid books with creepy, child molesting murderers, but there were a few things about the novel that I did like, one part being the author’s depiction of heaven. Each person in heaven is given their own, unique space that reflects what they love in life. If this is truly what heaven is like, I can guarantee you that my space will be filled with these chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes… so feel free to stop by my heavenly pad if you’re hungry, but let’s not rush it, okay?

My first attempt at these chocolate strawberry cupcakes was based on the Sprinkle’s strawberry cupcake recipe. I adapted the recipe a tad, and frosted them with my creamy, white chocolate frosting. Finally, I garnished them with chocolate-covered strawberries. My girlfriend, Melissa, loved these. For me, the combination of strawberry cake and white chocolate frosting was divine, but I did have one reservation. I won’t make excuses. All I can say is that I’m a girl raised on cake mix from a box. Many cupcakes from scratch are denser than cake from a cake mix. The dense cupcakes are not my preference. I’m a cake mix girl at heart, and proud of it!

Our cupcake and wine tasting was a success, but even I was a little cup-caked out. That changed when I heard about Duncan Hine’s “Red Carpet Cupcake Challenge”. Duncan Hines is sponsoring the 62^nd Primetime Emmy Awards this year, and is asking contest participants to submit an Emmy worthy cupcake recipe that uses a Duncan Hines product. My mind immediately flashed back to those almost perfect chocolate-covered strawberry cupcakes.

I’m not sure what the specific criteria the judges will be using, but I have a feeling this might be part of it:

widespread audience appeal
dressed in formal attire (It’s the Emmy’s for goodness sake. I’d be humiliated if my cupcake showed up on the worst dressed list.)
has to taste fabulous… I’m talking standing ovation fabulous!

That’s where Round 2 of my quest to create the perfect Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcake began. It took three more batches of cake batter for me to award it Emmy worthy status. I did feel a little wasteful throwing out so much cake batter, but once I started, I wasn’t about to stop until it was exactly how I had envisioned.

So here’s the deal. I’m not one to ask for help. In fact, I bag my own groceries at the store. The bag boy or manager always comes running to take over (you think they’d know by now). I guess they assume I’m an unhappy, impatient shopper, but the reality is I like doing it myself ~ Control freak? People-pleaser? Let’s just say, way too much of both! (Could that be why I’m still single after four years post divorce? Okay, let’s not analyze that one right now.)

Back to the contest… This contest relies on help. The cupcake entries are narrowed down to ten, based on the highest numbers of votes they receive. People can vote for their favorite every day until July 28^th. Here I go, with great trepidation (can’t believe I’m about to ask this)… If you think this cupcake is award winning Emmy material, or if you just feel like helping a girl out, you can vote for me again and again and again daily. There I said it! If I win, I promise to throw another cupcakes and cocktails party, and you’re all invited because I’m a people-pleaser, and proud of it!

Vote for me here! Pick Me! Pick Me!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

(Created by ME!)

Makes approximately 30 cupcakes

1 box Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix

1 box (4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

½ cup sour cream

2/3 cup pureed strawberries (This requires approximately one cup of whole strawberries prior to pureeing)

A few drops of pink gel coloring ~ optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Puree one cup of whole strawberries. Reserve 2/3 cup of the strawberry puree.

Blend cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and sour cream at low speed until moistened. Add strawberry puree. If you want the cupcakes to come out a little pinker, add a drop or two of pink gel coloring.

Beat at medium speed until well combined (approximately two minutes). Fill cupcake liners two thirds full. Bake immediately for approximately 15 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

White Chocolate Frosting

(created by, ME)

4 oz. white chocolate baking squares

1 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Melt white chocolate using the double boiler method or microwave. If using microwave, microwave at thirty second intervals and stirring in between until completely melted. Set aside melted chocolate to cool.

Sift powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl.

Combine butter, whipping cream, vanilla, salt in an electric mixer. Gradually add in powdered sugar until well combined. Frosting should be fairly stiff if piping onto cupcakes.

Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes. Top cupcakes with half of a chocolate covered strawberry, just prior to serving. Refrigerate cupcakes if not serving right away.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

(no idea who is responsible for this fabulous combo)

15 small to medium-sized fresh strawberries

Milk or dark chocolate for dipping

White chocolate to decorate

Wash strawberries and dry completely. Cut strawberries in half. Melt chocolate, either using double-boiler or microwave method. Dip strawberry halves into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set. Pipe thin lines of white chocolate across strawberry for garnish. Refrigerate until ready to serve cupcakes.

Tips:

To get the frosting the consistency that you like, you may need to add a little more cream, or powdered sugar to the frosting.
If you want to pipe the swirl, use Wilton’s 1M tip.
If you’re piping the swirl, double the frosting recipe.
It’s a little tricky to dip strawberry halves. The stems can break if you’re not careful. You’ve been warned.
Do not top cupcakes with chocolate strawberries until you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, the juice from the strawberry will start to seep out.
If the temperature is very warm outside, your frosting may melt a bit. This is fine and makes it easy to spread (yet impossible to pipe). If you want to pipe the icing, refrigerate the frosting until it firms up a bit.
These taste great both straight from the fridge, and at room temperature. Yes, I tried both ways.
I made the icing with a (4.4 oz) Lindt white chocolate bar, worth every penny. (YUM!)
To make the cupcakes a pretty pink hue, I added two drops of Americolor Rose gel coloring. (Remember, food coloring is your friend.)

Thanks for voting!

Baking Contests, chocolate, Cupcakes, Desserts Galore, frosting, Parties, Products, Recipes

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Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

Category Archives: Products