Wild About Berries

I have had an interesting week. I could bore all of you with the details or I could get down to what you stopped by to find out about...the cupcakes. Shortly after posting last week's poll I began searching for a recipe for the Wild Berry cupcake. My internet searches were unsuccessful. Everything I was finding was more like a muffin and I am not asking if Muffins Could Be the Cure. Simple enough, I would just remove it as a choice and replace it with something more "easy." At least I thought that would be my plan. When I logged back on I had already gotten 2 votes. What this means for all of you out there is this...once a vote has been cast you cannot edit the poll. Just the motivation I needed to come up with my own version of a Wild Berry Cupcake. A bit overwhelmed at the idea, I decided to put my planning on hold. I held an offline poll, consisting of asking some people when I saw them what their ideas were. What I decided on was making 2 versions of this week's cupcake. One which my husband would describe as more traditional, the other he would describe as "your version." I was not sure if that was good or bad. There was one way to find out...get baking. Now this was a 2 day process. You see I was including 2 fillings this week, one for each version of my cupcakes and every component was from scratch, no boxed mix this week.  My anniversary present this year...letting me buy my supplies instead of getting me a gift...hey at least he remembered. so this is what I came up with:

Version One (the "traditional") A Wild Berry Cupcake (a basic from scratch white cake with wild berry puree added to the batter) with a Triple Berry Curd Filling, Swiss Butter Cream Icing and a Fresh Blueberry for garnish. My girls LOVE these, minus the blueberry on top. I made them as minis, they are eating them in one bite. Now you would think in my house that cupcakes are devoured in an instant. The truth is that my girls usually eat the icing and pretend to eat the cake. These...they are eating it all and asking for more. Talk about a happy mama, after all they are my toughest critics.

Version Two ("my" version): A Vanilla Bean Cupcake (from scratch...thank you whole foods store for carrying Whole vanilla beans) with a Wild Berry Mousse Filling and Fresh Strawberry Swiss Butter Cream. That's right people, I dropped those wonderful strawberries I found on sale (oh the raspberries  blueberries and black berries were on sale too) into the food processor, hit the button a few times and folded them into the heavenly Swiss Butter Cream. Now these are not a fan favorite in my house. Basically if my girls can see the the berries in anything they decide they don't like it right then.  There is no tasting involved, that is just the way it is. Trust me, I did enough taste testing of my own on this one. LOVE it, not as much as the Bailey's icing, but it is up there.
Despite some of the frustrations of this week's baking: how exactly do you fill a mini cupcake, why does my icing still look like soup after 20 minutes of beating it and why won't my meringue stiffen up, I completed the challenge. Better than that, I am proud of my creations. Tomorrow I will be delivering them to a party to celebrate the accomplishments of a Relay for Life event (don't worry, it is separate from last week's event, I am spreading the love...promise). If you want the recipes, either certain portions of them of the entire thing, let me know in the comments and I will pass them on to you. All you have to do is tell me where to send them. I enjoyed coming up with my own cupcake so much that this week you will decide which one of my favorite things will inspire my cupcake. I can't wait to find out what you all choose. I hope all of you have a wonderful week. Until next time...

Just call me the Cupcake Smuggler

First let me thank all of you for continuing to follow my blog. I appreciate it more than you know. Second let me thank all of you for voting to bring the first alcohol I actually liked the taste of, beer (which I really do not like) and chocolate together in the form of this week's cupcake. Yes people, you picked the Chocolate Guinness cupcake with Bailey's Irish Cream Icing. My first thought was "Ah crap!" my final thought was "genius!" You can find the recipe which I borrowed from Karin at http://karinscupcakeadventure.blogspot.com/2011/03/guinness-cupcakes-with-baileys-irish.html This week I did not fight with any stage of the cupcakes. This week I also baked solo due to the ingredients. I was extremely concerned as I emptied the entire bottle of Guinness into the vanilla and melted butter. It smelled horrible, the beer was spitting at me from the beaters. I had to remind myself that this cupcake would not exist if people, like most of you, did not think it sounded fantastic. So I continued on. It was smelling better with each addition of the dry mix which included the sugar and cocoa powder. One quick taste before throwing them in the oven kept me wondering, as did the smell of Guinness in my kitchen as the beer actually cooked off during baking. It was time to head out to a happy 1st birthday party so I left the naked cupcakes to cool completely hoping that the icing would change my mind. Now I love the taste of Bailey's Irish Cream. I only wish it did not cost so much.  As soon as I came home a twisted off that cap, took a nice long smell and began to make what I think will be my all time favorite icing ever, and I mean EVER!!! Butter, confectioners sugar and Bailey's...my new best friends. Despite my instant love for this icing I made sure not to pipe too much onto the cupcakes, I promise that the cupcakes were pretty tall, I have yet to figure out that perfect amount when filling the liners. Since I had decided to donate these cupcakes to a special event I dressed them up with some tinted Bailey's icing and a few candy pearls. They were ready to go and so was I. Now here is where I ran into an issue. How can I make sure that these cupcakes last as long as the event they would be traveling to? I made a quick pit stop to the grocery store. One bag of ice and a one Styrofoam cooler later I had found my solution. I quickly wrote on the cooler "21 and up only" and the name of the cupcake flavor. I added the name of my blog as well and headed west for my delivery. Twenty minutes with my windows down and music up with no idea I may have to smuggle in my treats. The beach was dark and it was easy to spot my intended delivery area. It was marked by large stadium lights, the sound of fun music and people walking laps all in the name of finding a cure for cancer. I pulled into the parking lot and noticed a sign announcing I was entering a smoke free / alcohol free zone. For the second time today I thought to myself "ah crap." Reaching for my marker I quickly

scribbled over "21 and up only" not knowing how strict this alcohol ban might me. Looking back I think it was a bit of an over reaction since I failed to mark out the words "Guinness" and "Bailey's Irish Cream." To my delight there was no one checking my little cooler and I quickly caught site of two very friendly and familiar faces, Tia and Scott. They were walking their laps, hand and hand with smiles on their face, all to show support for their loved ones who had been touched by cancer. As always I was asked "where are my two little friends?" A question Scott asks anytime he sees me without the twins attached to my hip. Since it was at least 8:30 pm I was confident with my response "ha, they are at home in bed." I was ushered over to the Team Publix Supermarkets tent where I was able to deliver the cupcakes and let them know that they can share them amongst themselves or with the other teams. After all there would be another 12 hours of the Anna Maria Island Relay for Life. I walked a lap with them, taking a look at all of the booths that were set up in hopes of raising more money for the event. Two things caught my eye, the Luminaria tent and a sign that read "Butterbeer $1 each." This is a cupcake, also known as Triple Butterscotch. After returning to the team's tent I enjoyed one of my cupcakes, I must admit it was pretty darn good. I then made my way back to the Luminaria Tent walking the wrong way into oncoming walkers. I filled out my "In Memory Of" Luminaria, watched it get placed and started to walk away. Just as I took a a few steps it was announced that the Remembrance Lap and Luminaria Ceremony would begin. I watched as people, including myself moved towards their small white bags with names and messages indicating someone they loved that has been lost to

or is fighting against cancer. It was strangely breathtaking as all lights were turned off, everyone was silent and one by one each of those small white bags containing so much significance were lit. It was beautiful and sad all at the same time. The following lap was calm and mostly silent. As I remembered my grandpa Bill I found myself whipping away a mixture of tears of joy and sadness. When I did hear people talking it was those who had not been directly effected by cancer commenting on how sad the visual symbol was of those lost or a mother trying to explain to her young son what exactly cancer is. As I returned to my luminaria I felt myself smile as I looked down at that glowing bag. I left feeling at peace, more than I have in a long time. I headed east, enjoying my 20 minute ride home, windows down and in silence, not even the sound of racing thoughts in my head. Grateful for the ones I love, aware of all those who have been lost. Until next time...

A Match Made in Heaven

There are not many people I know that don't enjoy the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Most of my family, including myself have a weakness for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. In fact I was surprised that the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes did not win by a landslide a few weeks back. Because of this I made 2 batches this week to spread the love (sorry you did not get any grandma). That is right people, 48 little piles of heaven right under my roof made in a little over 3 hours and I only ate one, to taste test of course. For this week I flew solo in the kitchen, I knew looking at the directions that it was going to take some time, more than a 5 year old can stand on one task.  I had to use some elbow grease on this one, my hand held mixer was screaming for help after I committed to making a double batch in one VERY FULL mixing bowl. I had a big, manly cheerleader in the living room reminding me to take a deep breath and stay calm when I thought I was going to fail at folding the 12 egg whites I had whipped to medium soft peaks into the 36 ounces of melted semisweet chocolate chips, 3 sticks of butter, cream, vanilla, 12 egg yolks, sugar, flour and 24 regular size Reese's cups!!! I mean what is a measly dozen egg whites anyway. After about 10 minutes of under my breath cursing and sighing I finally found success. I started baking the 48 cupcakes into their shiny gold liners and then I remembered I still needed to make the icing. By then it was 8 pm, I am getting tired all over again just thinking about it. I made the icing, filled my pastry bag and found the icing was way to thick to be piped out to top the cupcakes. It was all put back into the bowl and after being thinned out, back in the bag the icing went. Then I discovered that my mini peanut butter cups had begun to melt together. I quickly salvaged what I could from the packages and crossed my fingers there would be enough to top each and every tiny cake. The cupcake goddesses were working against me. After a complete cooling off period, both for the cupcakes and me...I iced and topped each with their mini cup! SUCCESS, take that cupcake goddesses! The cupcake was saved as my reward for cleaning up my baking mess. I am not kidding when I say the cake melted in my mouth. The peanut butter icing gave it that Reese's finish. After a long night I packaged up the cupcakes and they were ready to make their way to my dad's house, day care and the local fire house of my choosing. Delivery was late today after spending some time at a friend's house celebrating her little boy's birthday. After all we did need to eat dinner before hitting the road to deliver cupcakes. Abigail had told me earlier that she did not want to deliver cakes because she would rather just eat them. When she found out we were going to make the trip to the fire house she changed her mind. I had originally planned to drop the cupcakes off at the fire house closest to my other deliveries, but that would have meant not sharing the moment with my little girls. I quickly drove home to pick them up and we made our way to the first fire house with their lights on, bay open and fire truck in eye shot!  We walked around a few minutes trying to confirm which doorbell to ring. Bell located, pushed and answered. We were quickly invited in to say hello to the guys. 

I explained that all of you decided they should get the cupcakes this week. You all should know they send a big thank you. I only wish each of you could have been there to get to play in the fire truck and meet the resident ducks the way the girls did. Tomorrow I begin my week with one of my least favorite activities of the year, a role as a peer reviewer for a quality assurance entity. Three days of telling other people they are either doing a great job or they need to do a better job, yuck. On the brighter side I get to end my day taking the girls to their ballet / tap class, much more fun. I will continue to check in and see what special supplies I may need for next week's cupcake. Don't forget to vote for your favorite. Until next time...

"System Error"

Hello all, apparently there were some issues with the host website so the poll for next week's cupcake was removed. I have added it back into the page. So please come on back and vote for which culinary concoction I should bake next week!!! Until next time...

Holy Oreo

I woke up today excited to try out some new things. With my membership card in hand I loaded the girls up and made our way to the local YMCA for open swim time. Since doing our tour the girls have been excited about the prospect of swimming in the biggest pool they had ever seen. The locker room was quite an experience, one that I am sure we will have again and again. The girls exhibited great independence in the "big pool" and took an instant liking to the friendly lifeguard. We pulled our waterlogged bodies out of the pool and quickly changed clothes, making our way to the closest playground equipment. When hunger took us over we decided to leave for the day, making plans to perhaps celebrate Mother's Day in the pool. The second thing I was excited about was the Death by Oreo Cupcakes I would be making. I quick trip to the grocery store made sure I had everything I would need for these sweet treats. This time both of my girls were ready to help. A few arguments broke out about who got to mix what and why one of them dropped the mixer in the bowl as soon as I mentioned it should not occur. In the end we overcame and turned out a pretty fantastic treat. I love Oreo cookies. I love dipping them in milk even more, but I think attempting to dunk this particular creation would not have a welcome result. There are a select few that will get to indulge in this with me. For those who are not lucky enough to do so you can make them at home. Here's how:
For the Cupcakes:
1 package of chocolate Oreo Cookies
1 Box Devil's Food Cake Mix (seems like cheating but sure does not taste like it)
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Line the cupcake tin with paper liners and place a whole Oreo in the bottom of each (yes you read that right!)
2. Set aside 10 Oreos (these will be for your icing). Take the rest and crush them into coarse crumbs, mix the crumbs with the DRY cake mix
3. Add wet ingredients and mix according to the box directions
4. Pour batter into liners until 3/4 full making sure the Oreo is completely covered with batter
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes (I baked for a little over 18 because I overfilled my liners)
6. Let cool completely before icing

For the Icing

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature            
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
10 reserved Oreo Cookies
2-3 Tbs heavy cream

1. Finely grind Oreos (use a food processor if possible)
2. Mix in butter and vanilla
3. Add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition
4. Add heavy cream as needed until reaching desired consistency
5. Ice cupcakes

You will see that I added a mini Oreo to the top for decoration. This is not necessary but when I saw it on http://karinscupcakeadventure.blogspot.com/ I thought Karin was on to something so I copied her, thanks Karin for the recipe and the decorating idea.

If you try these at home I am sure you will love them as much as I do. I promise I only ate one. If you would rather just stare at them longingly in an attempt to avoid the caloric intake that comes with them then feel free to check out my slide show of these and more sweet creations of mine. Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there. Until next time....

In the Event of a Tie

Hello followers. I use that term in the highest regard. Your votes have left me with a decision to make. We have a tie for this week's cupcake. The winners are Death by Oreo and Peanut Butter Cup. I am forced to make the choice on what to do with this result. Since I have the majority of the main ingredients available to me at home and it is Mother's Day on Sunday and I  love the cookies and cream combination, you have twisted my arm to choose Death by Oreo this week. I will not ask you to vote this week. Instead I will bake up your other favorite on the list next week. I wanted to give credit to a fellow blogger for having some great cupcake flavors listed in her blog, including last week's Chocolate Dr. Pepper and all of this week's poll choices.  Karin blogs on http://karinscupcakeadventure.blogspot.com/  I am not sure if they are her recipes or if she found them somewhere else. One thing I am sure of is I hope the next 2 are as yummy as the first. Stay tuned for more posts. Until next time!