Chocolate & Banana Cupcakes - Recipe

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup banana, mashed
2 tbsp. banana flavored liqueur

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture and the mashed bananas, stir until well combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Pour or brush a little of the banana liqueur on top of each cupcake and continue to cool on a wire rack.

For the topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners/icing sugar, sifted

18 banana slices, or banana chips
3 1/2 oz. semi sweet chocolate bar

2. Whip the cream and icing sugar together until slightly stiff. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of chocolate from the bar. Garnish the cupcakes with a dollop of cream. Place and banana slice in the center of each cupcake and sprinkle some chocolate around it.


*Want to try a spin on these cupcakes inspired by Elvis?! Swap out the frosting above for the peanut butter frosting recipe below!*
 
2 cups confectioners/icing sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6-8 tsp. whipping cream


Cream together butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Add in icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, alternating by adding a teaspoon of whipping cream until all icing sugar is well mixed. Add additional cream to reach desired consistency, if needed. 

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Chocolate & Blueberry Cupcakes - Recipe

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup blueberries, crushed
2 tbsp. chocolate flavored liqueur

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture and the crushed blueberries, stir until well combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Pour or brush a little of the chocolate liqueur on top of each cupcake and continue to cool on a wire rack.

For the topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners/icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. blueberry jam18 blueberries
3 1/2 oz. semi sweet chocolate bar

2. Whip the cream , icing sugar and jam together until slightly stiff. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of chocolate from the bar. Garnish the cupcakes with a dollop of cream. Place and blueberry in the center of each cupcake and sprinkle some chocolate around it.

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes - Recipe

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup confectioners/icing sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
2 tbsp. cherry flavored liqueur

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture and the chopped cherries, stir until well combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Pour or brush a little of the cherry liqueur on top of each cupcake and continue to cool on a wire rack.

For the topping:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners/icing sugar, sifted
12 maraschino cherries, whole
3 1/2 oz. semi sweet chocolate bar

2. White the cream and confectioners sugar together until slightly stiff. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of chocolate from the bar. Garnish the cupcakes with a dollop of cream. Place and cherry in the center of each cupcake and sprinkle some chocolate around the cherry.

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes

Kitchen Creations - August

Hello there,
Remember me?
Maybe you had forgotten about me... I know I haven't been around in a few weeks, but I definitely have not forgotten about you.

Man oh man, have I been busy this month. To put it simply, 3 weddings, 8 days, serious hand cramping. But I'm not complaining, I love to be part of those special occasions, and a wedding is certainly very special.

But, first this month, before the wedding madness, I had some cupcakes that were just for fun.

 These are triple chocolate cupcakes with chocolate mint filling topped off with chocolate icing, green sprinkles and a junior mint. Mmm Mmm!

And some triple chocolate cupcakes filled with strawberry fruit topped off with chocolate icing, red sprinkles and an extra dollop of strawberry fruit. It's like a chocolate dipped strawberry, in cupcake form.

A few days later a very special little girl (my god daughter) had her 2nd birthday... and to celebrate, I had a blast making some abby cadabby treats.

Of course you need the birthday cake. I just loved abby's sweet little face, and her wand. I added the message and stars to make the cake pop a little using chocolate. But I didn't stop there, no, of course not.

 I also made these pink and purple cupcakes topped off with pink and purple chocolate stars and shimmering sugars....

and these ginormous abby star wands (that are actually brownie pops). So sweet on the sparkly display stand! Perfect for a sweet little girl who loooooves pink and purple! Happy Birthday baby girl, xoxo

Now, the part you've been waiting for. The first wedding this month was that of my oldest friend. I was so honored when he asked me to make his wedding cake...and feeding 120 guests was no small feat. The couple decided on a dummy display cake as well as small rounds to be served to the guests.

Rather than cover the guest cakes in a basic frost, I decided to dress them up with this beautiful rosette/shell. And I think I made the right call, look how nice it looked plated...

Who would not want to receive this dessert at a wedding? Not only did it look pretty, but it was a delicious champagne cake filled with fresh strawberries and finished off with a hint of raspberry icing. Best wedding cake ever! *(If I do say so myself)*

So, are you ready to see the actual wedding cake?

The wedding colors were teal and yellow, so this simple white cake with teal burst flowers and yellow pearl accents looked perfect against the backdrop of the wedding decor. Congratulations on your marriage my friends, I wish you a long and happy life together!

Oh, I'm not done yet, a few days later I had another wedding cake...rather 61 mini wedding cakes to make. I will admit, I thought my hand might fall off from all of the piping on these cakes, but it was well worth it.

Here is the whole display, 60 mini minis, and 1 slightly larger mini for the bride and groom with their adorable topper. Here's a closer look at the bride and groom's cake...

So sweet! This couple also chose champagne cake with strawberries. It really is a lovely cake for celebrations.

Then, a mere two days later was the third and final wedding. This couple chose a black and white theme for their wedding, and so this half and half cake was perfect for their decor.

Accented with black and white pearls and custom black and white roses, the couple loved their cake. Finished off with their custom cake topper that they can keep in their home. Congratulations (once again) to my cousin and her new husband!
*Just incase you're wondering what you're seeing in the background, the wedding ceremony and reception were held on a boat, neat idea, right?!*

Lastly this month I made some lion cake pops for a little boy's first birthday and baptismal. The theme was lions, so I made these custom pops in triple chocolate, chocolate cherry cola, and strawberry.

Look at their happy little faces. Don't ya just wanna eat them up!? Finished off with custom thank you tags, these little guys were a much loved treat at this special occasion.

Well my darlings, that's all for this month.

Maybe I'll have something in store for you soon for back to school. Until then, enjoy the last days of summer and your long weekend.

Love and sprinkles, xoxo

Soy Milk & Cranberry Muffins - Recipe

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp. orange extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cranberries, rosemary, almonds and pecans. In a large bowl, beat the orange extract, oil, soy milk and honey until combined. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the soy mixture until just combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 25 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 muffins

Soy Milk & Blueberry Muffins - Recipe

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup dried blueberries
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, blueberries, rosemary, almonds and pecans. In a large bowl, beat the lemon extract, oil, soy milk and honey until combined. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the soy mixture until just combined. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 25 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 muffins