Cupcakes in Blossom

     For my last go-around with these cupcakes, I want to try something a little different. So, I took on Karen Tack and Alan Richardson's version of a "Mother's Day" cupcake which are simply a bunch of flowers.

Ingredients include:

• Vanilla Cupcakes
• An Array of Colored Decorating Sugars
• 1 Bag Flavored Mini Marshmallows (Assorted Pastel Colors)
• 1 Bag Mini Marshmallows
• 1 Can Vanilla Frosting
• Pastel - Colored Licorice Pastels (Optional)

     This recipe was another quick, 3 step process that came out beautifully. To begin, you were to separate each color of decorating sugar into its own bowl. Next, to create the petals for each cupcake you must cut 22 like-colored marshmallows in half by the diagonal; allowing each of the pieces to fall in your desired color of sugar. You would then shake the bowl and press the cut side into the sprinkles to get coated. Next, a thin coat of frosting is spread along the cupcakes. Following this, you would place your petals first along the outside edge of the cupcake and slowly make your way towards the center (Tack and Richardson 138). To present these on Mother's Day, the authors suggest to, "Arrange  the flower cupcakes on a serving platter. [Buy and] trim green licorice twists to look like stems and place on the platter" (Tack and Richardson 138).

I personally really like the color scheme.

     Once again, a recipe for such great looking cupcakes doesn't get any easier, especially with the intricate help from the authors. As I said in an earlier post, even with the most basic skills needed to complete these cupcakes, Karen Tack and Alan Richardson are ready with their tips and tricks to help you, which is great when you strive for perfect cupcakes to present.

Since these are a Mother's Day - themed treat, I think I may have to make these come May 14th. Will You?

Tack, Karen and Alan Richardson. What's New, Cupcake?. New York, New York. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston 2010.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

     Time for another cupcake recipe! This time, I've got my eyes set on these crazy simple (yet super adorable) hippos which are part of a whole jungle themed design by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson.

Ingredients include:

• Vanilla Cupcakes
• Blue Decorating Sugar
• 1 Can Vanilla Frosting
• Nutter Butters
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Orange Froot Loops

     For these little guys, there are only 3 simple steps.

     First, you must "Place the blue sugar in a small shallow bowl" (Tack and Richardson 79). You are then to set aside some of the vanilla frosting into a ziplock bag and tint the rest of the icing into a deep shade of blue using food coloring. You must then spread this on top of the cupcakes and roll the edges in the blue sprinkles. Lastly, to form the hippo heads, you are to press a cookie into the frosting of each cupcake allowing one third of the cookie to hang over the edge, and use the bagged icing as glue to add the hippos chocolate and cereal features (Tack and Richardson 79). 

Hey, that's pretty good.

     Easy right? Nothing too crazy with these steps at all. To make matters even better, these authors have written tips to help you with almost every aspect of their recipes. For example, they can take you step by step on how to roll your cupcakes in decorating sugar, use a ziplock bag to pipe designs, or even just on how to frost a cupcake. All of these tips are created to help us, the students, achieve the best possible outcome, which is an aspect I've come to love about these authors and their book.

I made these hippos for my 1-1/2 year old cousin to enjoy. Who would you gift these cupcakes to?

Tack, Karen and Alan Richardson. What's New, Cupcake?. New York, New York. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston 2010.

Koi Pond Cupcakes

     For my next cupcake attempt, I'm am to pursue the "Koi Pond" design by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. These little confections are described as, "Koi goldfish made from circus peanuts which transform a simple platter of cupcakes into a golden pond" (Tack and Richardson 99).

Ingredients for these bad-boys includes:

• Vanilla Cupcakes
• 1 Can + a 1/2 Cup of Vanilla Frosting
• Blue Food Coloring
• Orange Circus Peanuts
• Orange Peanut Butter M&M's
• Orange Froot Loops
• Brown Mini M&M's

     While going through this recipe, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy everything was. To begin, you were to place some of the vanilla frosting in a small ziplock bag and set it aside then tint the rest of the frosting with a few drops of blue food coloring and spread this on the cakes. You were then to cut the circus peanuts a variety of ways in order to create the bodies of the fishes, as well as their fins. After assembling the little guys on top of the cupcake, you were to use your set aside frosting as glue to create the fishes face out of M&M's and cereal (Tack and Richardson 99-101). These steps, of course, were far more intricate by the authors, which is great as it leaves little room for error.

     Once again, it was a great relief how simple these cupcakes were, as the only semi-difficult portion was filleting the circus peanuts due to their stiff and crumbly texture. According to the authors, you are to, "[for the fins] place the circus peanuts on their sides and cut lengthwise into two slices...lay each slice cut side down and cut each in half on the diagonal... for the bodies, place the remaining circus peanuts flat side down and make a diagonal cut from one end, moving no more than 1/4 inch..." (Tack and Richardson 99). Having the steps written out was great, however, for this portion of the recipe I found their visual on page 101 more useful as I was able to see exactly what shapes the authors wanted for myself to portray. 

They're a little ugly, but I'm pretty content.

After these cupcakes as well as my last polar bear sweets, I've become pretty keen to making animal-inspired cupcakes. So I ask; What animal would you like to see as a dessert?

Tack, Karen and Alan Richardson. What's New, Cupcake?. New York, New York. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston 2010.

What's New, Cupcake?

Cupcakes are a classic, sweet delight which many have come to know and love. Within the book "What's New, Cupcake?" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, these treats have been taken to a whole new creative and tactical level which I've set out to achieve this quarter.

To begin this journey, I've set my sights on these adorable confections called "Frosty Mugs". 

Ingredients Include:

• Chocolate cupcakes baked in silver foil liners.
• White decorating sugar.
• Thin (chocolate) cookies.
• Orange candy slices.
• Vanilla frosting.
• Green food coloring.
• Chocolate chips.
• Mini chocolate chips.
• Small red candies.

    After baking the cupcakes, the snowmen were decorated with: a snowy complexion using course sprinkles over frosting, a face by the help of chocolate chips, a faux carrot nose using orange candy slices, and a chocolate-cookie hat with a sprig of holly (Tack and Richardson 200).

    This may sound simple, however, in order to create a neat finished product, there were tedious steps involved in decorating the cakes. For example, in coating the cupcakes you are to, "Place the material in a shallow bowl large enough to accommodate the cupcake. [Then] hold the bowl at an angle and lightly press the frosting.... into the coating material to coat and shape the entire surface" (Tack and Richardson 17). Though the intricate detail the authors put forth in their text may seem like "too much", I found myself being thankful for this: it leaves less room for error. After following this step, I guess you could say I had clean and perfectly coated cupcakes.

These guys may not have ended up perfect, but I'm pretty happy with them.

    In the introduction of this book, the authors reminisce on a turning point within their culinary career. They ended their tale of recreating van Gogh's "Starry Night" on a canvas of cupcakes with their peers reaction to their masterpiece; "they said we were as looney as van Gogh himself" (1). This made myself wonder; how did this duo push beyond what others think in order to express themselves to the fullest whilst doing what they love?

So I ask you: what makes you push past what others think to fulfill your ambition?

Tack, Karen and Alan Richardson. What's New, Cupcake?. New York, New York. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston 2010.