cupcake mate

Victoria Sponge Cake - Nigella Lawson

2011-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

I was blessed with some wonderful cookbooks at my bridal shower 5 years ago. I have savored them. I've run to them when I'm in a bind. I've even been known to stay up in bed reading them cover to cover. Well, really only one of them. Nigella Lawson's "How to be a Domestic Goddess", to be precise. She has a wonderful way with words so that you come away feeling like you have actually met her and had a conversation with her, and now you're best friends. Or maybe that's just me!

I haven't tried many of her recipes yet, but her Victoria Sponge has become a go-to for me for afternoon teas. The kind where you might lay the table with your mother-in-law's china and some cloth napkins, and serve smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches.

You know, your typical everyday afternoon tea. Ha, I wish! How about for a bridal shower?

That's more like it.

Victoria Sponge (from Nigella Lawson's "How to Be a Domestic Goddess")

1 cup unsalted butter (very soft)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups self-raising cake flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla, and then add eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour in between each one. Fold in the rest of the flour and cornstarch and enough of the milk to create a mixture that is a soft, dropping consistency.
3. Pour and scrape the batter into 2 - 8" round cake pans that have been buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for about 25 minutes, until cakes are beginning to come away from the edges, are springy to the touch on top, and a cake tester comes out clean. Leave the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for about 10 min before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
4. When ready to eat the cake, put one layer on a plate, right way up, spread with jam and scatter fruit on top. Spread a layer of whipped cream on top. Sit the other cake on top of the fruit and sift icing sugar on top.

Note: I actually did not use jam when I made this cake, although I'm sure that would be delicious. I just used a pound of chopped up strawberries that I mixed with some powdered sugar to sweeten. Using so many strawberries makes the cake a bit tricky to cut, but I think it's still worth it to have fresh strawberries and cream.

mermaid rag doll

2011-08-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at a stuffed toy.
Why a mermaid, you ask? It's hard to resist a little 3 year old girl who loves mermaids, and I couldn't resist a new sewing challenge. Unable to find a mermaid doll pattern online, I found a rag doll pattern and modified it to have a tail instead of legs.

She turned out pretty good I think!
Now to think of something to make for my little friend's 5 year old sister.

sew cute

2011-08-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am so enjoying having some time to get into some sewing projects. With a few friends expecting little ones this year I decided to invest in two baby bootie patterns from Ashley at Make It Love It. Above are the Abigail Booties I made for little Olive.

The Bradley Booties above were for little Lucas, (or Wucas as I can't resist calling the little guy!)

Up until now I have hesitated to buy sewing patterns because they always look so daunting with lines going in every direction. But Ashley has done a really nice job of making her patterns easy to use which is great for beginners like me.

These patterns get the thumbs up from me, and I recommend Ashley's blog for anyone looking to sew up some cuteness!

Peach Crumble

2011-08-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my trusty go-to desserts this summer. It's the easiest thing in the world to whip up and is just so good. There's something comforting about a crumble. Especially when it's served with a good dollop of freshly whipped cream.

The recipe is a tweak of Pioneer Woman's Rhubarb Crumble, using peaches instead of rhubarb. I also chose to use cream and butter in the crumble rather than Crisco.

Peach Cobbler

4 large ripe yellow peaches
1 cup sugar, scant
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup cream
1 egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a bowl, combine chopped peaches, cup of sugar, 1/4 tsp salt. Stir and set aside.
3. In another bowl combine flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, baking powder. Stir. Add butter, then cut together with a pastry cutter.
4. Beat egg, milk and cream together. Pour into flour mixture. Stir with a fork until just combined.
5. Pour peaches into buttered pie dish. Tear off pieces of dough and drop onto the fruit.
6. Bake 30 - 35 min. Serve warm with freshly whipped cream.

set for summer

2011-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was inspired this week by Cait over at Cait + Create to go thrift shopping and see what treasures I could find.

To find out how I went from this:
to this:
...read below.
Following Cait's guidelines, I threw out the window everything I've ever done when op-shopping. Usually I spend ages searching for something just right and then end up not finding anything. This time I went in with an open mind. I picked a size 13 dress, and chose it based on the fabric. Some fabrics tend to show their wear more than others, but this one had potential.

Here's the before:
You should have seen Neil's face when I showed him :) I had to assure him I wasn't going to start wearing "mom" dresses. Not yet, anyway ;)

The top of the dress actually fit pretty well, so all I needed to do to alter it was to cut a chunk off the bottom and hem it.

I found a belt for $4.99, and then finished the outfit with a white cardigan I already had.

Here's the after:

A brand new summer dress for $10! Not bad.

freedom :)

2011-05-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Since my graduation two weeks ago I've been making the most of my freedom. By staying at home. Yep, I'm happy as a clam to just be home! Here are some of the fruits of my labor this week. Phew, I am on a roll!

I sewed a purse! This was my first time sewing with a zip and so I was chuffed with how it turned out. I got the pattern from Ashley at Make It and Love It. It made the perfect gift for a dear friend who is sadly leaving Berkeley (we're going to miss you Arijaan!)

A loaf of bread I baked. I'd been waiting for the chance to try this No-Knead Recipe from a blog friend (thanks Cassie!). I have to say, it was the easiest thing I've ever made and it was super delicious! It made me think of my Great-Gran Phipson, who would always share a loaf of her homemade bread with us. We'll be having it with our dinner tonight. Yum!

What a fun week! I think I can get used to this unemployed thing ;)

Watch this space :)

bridal shower tea party cookies

2011-04-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw these cute little Easter bonnets on Bakerella a while back I've been waiting for an excuse to try them. They're the perfect addition to a tea party. Dainty, girly, and just so pretty.

Flowers for the front.

Ribbons for the back.

So when my friend Nancy told me she was organizing a bridal shower tea I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

White for the bride, of course.

And lilac for her entourage.

These cookies make me smile :)

buttermilk pancakes

2011-03-26T17:02:00.001-07:00

All this talk of golden syrup on buttermilk pancakes, I had to follow it up with action.

The recipe I use is from Joy of Baking, found here. I offer it with one small addition:
Pile pancakes in a stack. Drizzle with a generous amount of golden syrup.

Block out all feelings of guilt, you can deal with it later. And enjoy!

make your own tea cozy

2011-03-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

There's something comforting about a tea cozy. Tea time just isn't complete without one, for me. This is my second attempt at making one. It took some mental gymnastics to get it right. Here's what I did.

You'll need:

decorative fabric for the outer layer
plain cotton for the inside lining
polyester batting to keep the teapot warm.

(Note: I used batting that was pre-quilted which was great to work with.)

First, draw up a pattern on some paper. You'll draw a sort of half circle. Start by drawing the bottom line 14 1/2 inches (37 cm) long. The topmost point of the circle from that line will be 10 1/2 inches high (27 cm). (This is my first attempt at a sewing tutorial so you'll have to excuse the lack of technical terms)

Cut 2 x decorative fabric
Cut 2 x lining
Cut 2 x quilted batting, and then trim 3/4 inch (1.5 cm) off the bottom

Sew the two pieces of quilted batting together along the curve only, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge. Leave the straight edge open.

You can trim off some of that edge.

Next, you will lay one piece of decorative fabric face down on one piece of lining. Sew the two together along the straight edge. The picture above shows them sewed together, with seam underneath. Repeat with remaining two pieces of fabric.

Lay the two oval shapes so that they are facing eachother (see above). Sew these together, starting at the top of the lining and sewing all the way around, leaving a 10 inch gap (25 cm) at the top of the lining.

Turn inside out (see above).

You should now have a gap where you can insert the batting you sewed earlier.
Test it out so that it fits snug. You may have to trim the batting to fit smoothly inside.

Finally, pin and sew up the gap.

All that's left to do is to put the kettle on, make yourself a cuppa, and admire your handiwork! :)

what I did with my round tuitt

2011-03-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

I finally got a round tuitt! Here's what we did with it...

1. After 5 years at church I finally went looking for a milk jug so I can have milk in my tea on Sundays and realized there had been one in the storage closet all along ($0 in the storage closet)

2. After almost 3 years of trickling showers Neil went and bought us a "waterfall" showerhead ($40 at home depot)

3. After 3 years of fighting with the door of our apartment, battling to get in with hands full of groceries, and having it shove us out whenever we would leave, we took to it with a screwdriver and removed the hinge thingy ($0 in the toolbox)

It's amazing how much easier life is when you finally get around to the little things!

South African baking: crunchies

2011-03-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

One of the most treasured items in my pantry is my golden syrup. The way I hoard it you'd think it was made of real gold. I've never been that good at sharing ;) I grew up on Illovo syrup in South Africa, but this British brand at Andronico's is just the same.

Golden syrup is just the best on crumpets (aka US pancakes, AUS pikelets), nothing can beat it!
But it is also great for baking crunchies. I finally got around to making some recently after a South African blog I follow posted the recipe (thanks Kit!).

These things bring me straight back to my childhood. My mum used to make them a lot on the farm. I don't think her version had cinnamon so I left that out, and I used dark brown sugar to make it a little less sweet (at least that's my theory). They turned out just the same as I remember them.

Soft, warm, and, well... crunchy :)
The perfect complement to a cuppa tea!

Crunchies

3/4 cup plain flour
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups dessicated coconut
pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
30 ml milk

1. Combine flour, oats, coconut, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Gently melt together butter and syrup on the stove, then stir into the dry ingredients.
3. Dissolve bicarb in the milk and add to the mixture stirring well.
4. Tip into greased baking tray, press down all over till even with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake at 350 F/180 C for 15 - 20 min until golden brown. Cut into squares in tin then leave to cool for a while before taking out of the tin.

March op-shop finds & sticking to a budgie

2011-03-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

This year I've been enjoying working with my budget in a much more intentional way. Usually I'll just guesstimate as I go along from month to month, since I'm not typically a big spender and figure it will all even out in the end.

But what I'm finding is that being intentional about what I spend, and keeping a close tally of where it all goes, is actually pretty rewarding. I have a wish-list of things I want to get, which helps me keep an eye out as I shop. This week I happened to stop by the goodwill store (op shop, in Aussie terms) and knocked out three things from my list, and for much, much cheaper than I was expecting to pay for them new!

March op-shop finds:
24 Wilton mini muffin pan 2.99
aluminium ring mold pan 2.99 (no, spellcheck, it's not aluminum)
Target black flats (brand new with the tag) 9.99

fairy cakes

2011-03-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

My first shot at making cupcakes from scratch!

I have to say, I'm not sure I can ever go back to using a box, these cupcakes were so light, and a cinch to make, too. I used a recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook, "How to Be a Domestic Goddess" (I cringe to quote a title like that! haha).

I was icing them in a bit of a hurry, so some of the flowers (which I bought pre-made from Spun Sugar) ended up sinking into the icing before it was set. But overall I was very happy with the result and can't wait to make them again.

South African baking: milk tart

2010-06-23T19:18:00.001-07:00

I'm on a South African baking kick. I've come across some great recipes from my childhood, the first I'll share with you is Milk Tart (aka Melk Tert). My mum used to make these by the dozen to give to friends. I might just have to do the same!

I had some filling left over so I poured it into a couple ramekins and chilled in the fridge for dessert. The best part about it is that it has the flavor of a rich dessert but it's not very rich at all, no cream, though a bit of sugar.

SERVES 10 -12

Ingredients

Pie Crust

125 g butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour, sifted
salt

Filling

1 liter milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
3 tablespoons flour
10 ml vanilla essence

Directions

Cream the margarine and sugar together and beat in the egg.
Add the flour and salt and knead until a soft dough is formed.
Press the mixture into a greased circular pie dish and bake at 350°F/180°C for 15 minutes.

train cake

2010-06-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm getting lots of practice on cakes for boys! My dear neighbors Wungsem and Vareho had a joint birthday party on the weekend. I made their dinosaur cake last year. This year they wanted a train cake, so I followed this trusty howdini.com video and had some fun!

This was made from two cakes baked in loaf pans. One cake for the engine and one cut into quarters for the cars.
All they need are some Oreo wheels and some colorful cargo and they're good to go!

All aboard!

Apple cake

2010-06-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is not your typical "apple cake" :) It was for a friend who started a job at Apple. This cake was a fun challenge for me. The cake itself is a very simple design, but I enjoyed working with the fondant to get just the right colors, and then rolling it out as smooth as possible.

noah's ark

2009-11-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

Is it normal to have motherly feelings toward a cake you just made? As a friend was leaving with the Noah's ark cake I made for her daughter's first birthday I felt like a mum parting with her child for the first time (not that I have any idea what that feels like, but I think I just caught a glimpse!)

"Did you pack your socks?"

"Don't forget to change your underwear, and if anyone bullies you, call me!"

"...I love you!"

Since my sugarpie (emphasis on sugar) walked out the door, I've had my phone right next to me waiting for it to ring. I feel like an empty-nester.

Something tells me this is not normal. Somebody help!

gardening

2009-06-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

I like to think I have a green thumb and a sweet tooth.

This is the best way to combine the two. You get to lick your fingers while you work the soil, it's perfect! When I saw these on Pioneer Woman's blog I just had to make them. Here's how it's done.
Cupcakes sitting on the bottom. I popped these in the freezer to get nice and cold.

Stick a straw into the middle of the cupcake, and then scoop your favorite ice-cream and press it down into the pot nice and firm.

Now just simply finish it off with some top soil (crushed Oreo cookies), and a flower, which you'll stick inside the straw.

And then sit back and enjoy the look of horror on your friends' faces as you proceed to enjoy your potted plant by the mouthful.

not to be trifled with

2009-06-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

If I had known how easy it was to make trifle I might have understood why it seemed to be a staple at all those potlucks in my years growing up. Now that I'm the one being asked to bring plates to potlucks I realize that to choose not to make trifle is like saying, "Sorry, I'd rather go and climb a big rock than sit back, put my feet up, and maybe even hop in the hot tub." You simply can't turn it down.

Sorry kids. You have a lifetime of trifle up ahead.

Here's how easy it is to hop in the tub: you'll need 1 angel food cake (please buy it from the store!), 1 pint of whipping cream (okay, if you want a walk in the park you can get the canned whip), custard (this is the only part you have to make, recipe below), and some chopped up fruit.

Slice the angel food cake into three layers. Layer the trifle with cake on the bottom, custard, whipped cream, and fruit. Keep layering until you reach the top of the bowl (using a glass bowl lets you see the layered effect). It's that simple!

Custard recipe:

Whisk 4 egg yolks, 1 quarter cup of sugar, 1 tablepoon of cornstarch, Vanilla essence, 1/2 cup of cream and 3/4 cup of milk. Mix together and cook on low heat until it thickens. Do not boil. Stir it until it is thick. When cooked put some plastic wrap on top of custard so that it touches the custard and it will stop it forming a skin. Cool in fridge.

(thanks to Toni Castlehow for the custard recipe!)

cream scones

2009-06-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

You have to try these. I came across this Joy of Baking recipe and have not looked back. I have also not looked down, for fear it has affected my scale. But oh boy are these worth every ounce!

dino

2009-05-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

Say g'day to Dino. I helped make him for a friend's boys' birthday party and what a lot of fun it was! You can find the step-by-step instructions for making him here but structurally, the cake basically consists of two 9-inch rounds, cut into the shapes below:

Since two 9-inch rounds probably wouldn't feed all the 45 guest who were coming, we decided to make some cupcakes as well.

Okay Dino, say cheese! (Or whatever it is that cute dinosaur cakes say when they have their picture taken).

cupcakes only a mother could love

2009-05-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well, that's probably not true, I love them! Aren't they adorable?

We made these in kids club on Sunday. I should probably mention that our class is made up of five boys. I think this one is my favorite: that is one serious cupcake. Fit for a mom. Who likes black. A ninja mom.

I just love hanging out with these boys. They make me smile. Hope all you moms out there had a great mothers day!

smitten with rhubarb

2009-05-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet baked with rhubarb here's a recipe that will have you running out to get some the moment it is in season every year from here on forth. Rhubarb is only available two months out of the year, so if you're thinking of using some this year you better elbow your way down that veggie aisle as soon as you can because it'll go quick! I discovered this recipe through Pioneer Woman, who recently hosted Smitten Kitchen for a baking session on her lovely ranch where they made some of SK's Big Crumb Cake. I gave it a go and will definitely be making this again. I doubled the recipe because I didn't think 6-8 pieces would last very long and I'm glad I did as it was a huge hit.

Easter fun!

2009-04-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had the best time on Saturday putting together an afternoon of decorating (...and eating!) cupcakes for Easter with the women and kids at church. What I loved the most was seeing the creativity that comes from having a bunch of people all with different ideas and talents in one room. The women got their hands dirty with some spring gardens, thanks to a great link I found on Woman's Day. The kids were wishing veggies always tasted that good!

I thought the kids would quickly get bored and eat up the cupcakes in five seconds but they got right into decorating and made the most precious Easter baskets. Thanks to a post by Bakerella I got the idea to use Sour Punch straws as the handles for the baskets which worked perfectly.

"lots of chocolate for me to eat..."

2009-03-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

I found this delicious Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe over at Epicurious and have made it twice already in two weeks! As a chocoholic, this cake definitely meets my criteria for good chocolatey taste but the best thing about it is how easy it is to make, everything mixed in one bowl and popped in the oven. Here's the low down:

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

2. Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth.

3. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.

4. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate. Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.) (Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com)

cupcakes and pirates

2009-03-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

-- I figured that's what it would take to keep the attention of five boisterous boys in my kids club class this morning. Never mind that this was a Sunday school and here I was encouraging them to draw their best skull and cross bones... but they didn't need much encouragement, it was a pretty gnarly line-up:
With some equally gnarly pirate grins to boot!

Of course, the best part was getting to frost and eat their checkers at the end :)

chocolate coconut clusters

2009-03-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by my blogger friend at wee treats by tammy and decided to give these a try. They reminded me a lot of Romany Creams, a childhood favorite of mine in South Africa, which I have long wondered how to make, so I set to work. Once they came out the oven and surpassed an initial taste test or three, I used chocolate buttercream icing to stick some of them together. But even though my husband gave me the thumbs up it wasn't quite what I had remembered as a child. And then it dawned on me... melted chocolate, of course! That's what they used to stick the Romany Creams together. I can't wait to try that out!

Here's the recipe from Tammy's blog, which I encourage you to check out, for both baking and cooking inspiration -- she has some great easy dinner ideas which I've also been glad to find.

Chocolate Coconut Clusters (adapted from the old Edmonds cook book)

75g butter
75g sugar
1 egg
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c coconut
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp milk

· Cream the sugar and butter and then beat in the egg.
· Stir in the dry ingredients and lastly the milk.
· Roll into balls and flatten with a fork.
· Bake at 180c (350F) for 15 minutes.
Once cold join together with chocolate butter cream icing.

6 out of fourteen...

2009-02-17T22:37:00.000-08:00

Sounds like a bad test score, but at least this one had a delicious result :) I was inspired by Bakerella's fourteen-layer cake and couldn't resist using up the rest of a batch of batter to make a mini version of it. I tried to go for the fourteen layers but I suppose being mini sized it couldn't handle the height so I just went as high as it would let me go without feeling like it was about to tip over.

Being an experiment I tried doing the layers two ways, though I wish I had kept to just one way, upon opening up the cake later. In any event, it was a very fun and tasty experiment and I can't wait to try it again!

be my cupcake valentine

2009-02-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

Yay for long weekends and for Valentine's Day! I was finally able to do some baking this weekend and boy have I missed it. I shared the love, with some Valentine's cupcakes for the moms at Toddler Corner on Friday. To my surprise it was not the moms but the tots who fell head over heels in love with them and were able to each fit a whole cupcake, icing and all, inside their tiny little tummies!

new year cake balls

2009-01-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this candy-coating. I made these for a New Year's Eve dinner with friends and I was pretty happy with how they turned out. The candy coating came out smoother by resting the cake ball on a teaspoon, and with another spoon pouring the melted chocolate on top. Tapping the teaspoon on the side of a bowl, the candy became coated evenly on all sides. I ended up coating the last few balls in cocoa because I ran out of time, but I think I like the contrast.

reindeer cake pops

2008-12-29T22:09:00.000-08:00

Well you might be able to guess what I got in my stocking this year ~ yep, all my hinting paid off, and I got some edible food markers, some candy writers, and some other exciting baking bits and pieces, yippee! Here is my very first attempt at cake pops a-la-Bakerella. I loved her little reindeer, and was so pleased to find some Boston baked beans which worked really well as Rudolph noses. I used the same method and recipe that I used for the chocolate cake balls, although I used candy melts instead of real chocolate, which was much easier to work with. I need to figure out how to get the candy coating smoother -- that might have something to do with not having used styrofoam to keep the pops sticking up, which meant they kept bumping into eachother -- but being my first shot I was pretty happy with these little guys! Can't wait to try out some more ideas in the New Year!

kids' gingerbread houses

2008-12-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, graham cracker houses to be exact :) The kids had so much fun decorating these at our recent gingerbread house making party and we sure had fun making them! Here's how to do it:

Royal icing

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

4 cups icing sugar (powdered)

Mix the above ingredients together, adding the sugar slowly until the consistency of the mixture is fairly firm.

Making the graham cracker house

1. Gather your materials. You'll need four graham crackers, and royal icing. You can use a Ziploc bag to pipe the icing, cutting a small hole in the corner, and twisting the top to make sure the icing doesn't come squirting at you when you squeeze :)
2. Cut graham crackers in half and lay out the pieces. Lay the long side of each cracker against the middle one.
3. Pipe four lines of icing as per picture below.
4. Pull up the sides in pairs and press the corners together.
5. Once the icing has dried a little, lay the roof pieces with the short sides of the graham crackers meeting at the top. Pipe icing to glue them together.
6. Allow icing to harden before decorating.Decorate with your favorite candy! Here are some of the beautiful houses from the party:

apple strudel muffins

2008-12-08T20:59:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, I was looking for some wintry baked goodies to make when I came across this fabulous recipe for apple strudel muffins. Going off some of the comments readers had left, I decided to go with the variation below in order to keep the muffins nice and moist. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and wasn't able to finish them off with the strudel topping, but even without it they turned out really well:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1 tablespoon apple sauce

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Mix sugar and apples together. Add to flour mixture. Gradually blend in the flour mixture to the butter and eggs. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

chocolate cake balls

2008-12-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted here, but with the holidays I have lots of excuses to get busy in the kitchen. For those of you who are fans of Bakerella's blog, you'll know where I got my inspiration for these! When I saw her recipe for red velvet cake balls I couldn't wait to try it. As a die-hard chocoholic I went with chocolate cake for the filling, and semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate for the coating. Being my first attempt, I didn't do them from scratch, but I can't wait to experiment some more. Here's an "insider's" look:

pavlova cupcakes

2008-08-09T12:18:00.001-07:00

Going to watch the Olympic opening ceremony with some American friends, I had to represent Australia with this traditional dessert. To be true, there is some debate between Kiwis and Australians as to who first invented pavlova, but there is no question that this delicious concoction is a winner. These mini versions of the dessert had to be eaten with a spoon as the custard and cream makes these a bit tricky to eat with just your hands. But boy, is it worth every bite!

(My thanks to Toni Castlehow for sharing her family recipe with me.)

root beer float cupcakes

2008-07-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

For a Root Beer Float Night last week I decided to try out this recipe I found at Yum Sugar for root beer float cupcakes, just for fun. I used the glaze sparingly, wanting to keep the cupcakes easy to eat and without being too sticky. They were well-received and, with comments along the lines of, "these are borderline amazing," appeared to be enjoyed by all.

Wall-e cupcakes

2008-06-30T20:55:00.001-07:00

I had such fun making these I decided to start a cupcake blog =) Cupcake anyone?