Eggplant Muffins - Recipe

for the muffins:
2 small eggplants
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub the eggplants with 2 tbsp. of the olive oil. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes, until the eggplant softens and turns dark brown. Remove from the oven and cool. Remove the top of each eggplant and slice the body lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape the inner flesh away from the outer skin. Discard the skin and roughly chop the eggplant flesh and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the egg, milk and remaining 4 tbsp. of olive oil. Mix in the flour until nearly combined. Fold in the chopped eggplant until evenly dispersed. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan, and continue to cool on a wire rack.

for the butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

2. Combine the butter, garlic, vinegar and parsley in a bowl. Beat until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cut muffins in half and spread with butter.

Makes approximately 12 muffins

Pumpkin, Ginger, Chili & Cilantro Muffins - Recipe

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned, not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3 tbsp. candied ginger, chopped
1 tbsp. chili, freshly minced
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except for the seeds) with a spoon. In a large bowl, beat the egg, pumpkin, milk and oil with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing until nearly combined. Fold in the candied ginger, chili, and cilantro do not over mix. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Sprinkle each muffin top with a few pumpkin seeds. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 muffins

Pumpkin, Currant & Ginger Cupcakes - Recipe

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned, not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3 tbsp. candied ginger, chopped
1/2 cup currants4 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except for the seeds) with a spoon. In a large bowl, beat the egg, pumpkin, milk and oil with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing until nearly combined. Fold in the candied ginger and currants, do not over mix. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Sprinkle each muffin top with a few pumpkin seeds. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.


for the frosting:
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups icing sugar


2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Frost each cupcake and top with a pumpkin candy if desired. 


*You can find the pumpkin candies in a bag at some grocery stores, or if you live in Canada, you can usually find them in Bulk Barn this time of year.*


Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

Pumpkin Ginger Muffins - Recipe

Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving... a few scrumptious pumpkin muffin recipes for you to try!

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned, not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3 tbsp. candied ginger, chopped
4 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except for the seeds) with a spoon. In a large bowl, beat the egg, pumpkin, milk and oil with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing until nearly combined. Fold in the candied ginger, do not over mix. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Sprinkle each muffin top with a few pumpkin seeds. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 muffins

Check back the rest of this week for a sweeter version of these muffins and a more savory, spicy version!

Apple Pecan Muffins - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1/2 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 tbsp. pecans, chopped 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, beat the margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Slowly add the egg and then the applesauce, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and spices and pecans, mixing until just combined.

For the topping:
2 tbsp. margarine, softened
1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. pecans, chopped
2 tbsp. rolled-oats
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2. Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with a fork or pastry blender until topping resembles coarse bread crumbs. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Sprinkle some topping onto each cupcake. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 25 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

Apple & Raisin Muffins - Recipe

for the cupcakes:
1/2 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 tbsp. raisins
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, beat the margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Slowly add the egg and then the applesauce, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder and spices and raisins, mixing until just combined.

For the topping:
2 tbsp. margarine, softened
1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp. rolled-oats
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2. Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with a fork or pastry blender until topping resembles coarse bread crumbs. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each well of a muffin tin lined with baking cups. Sprinkle some topping onto each cupcake. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a wire rack for an additional 25 minutes.

Makes approximately 12 cupcakes

Kitchen Creations - September

Hello Darlings,
It's the end of the month again... where did this month go? I swear summer was just beginning and already it's fall. I hope your first few weeks of back to school time haven't been too hectic. It's actually been kinda quiet around here. I've been spending far too much time on mycakeschool.com
I've been trying out a few new things I've learned, and have a few more ideas coming up.  But, even with all the time I spent on webinars I did have time to bake up a few things.

First this month was a couple's anniversary. Lavender was their wedding colour so I made these sweet mini cupcakes topped off with mini lavender flowers.

I used the new wilton flower cutter and former set. Such a great tool kit to create many different types of flowers and leaves. Love it.

Then just a week later, the same couple were celebrating their son's birthday with a Go Diego Go theme. To colour match, I made these super yummy marble cake pops with yellow, orange, blue and brown shimmering sugar coatings.

These delicious and brightly coloured treats surely pleased the palate of 60 lucky boys and girls!

Next up, one of my newer customers told me a dear friend of hers was celebrating her 50th birthday. Unfortunately her friend has been undergoing cancer treatments recently and had to celebrate in hospital. But, as only a special friend can do, they planned a surprise party and a special cake to cheer her up.

This cake had a special meaning. This woman has always dreamed of having her own little yellow house. With the cost of cancer treatments, her dream will likely never become a reality, but at least we could give her a taste with this little yellow house cake. I wish you well, and hope you had a lovely birthday.

Coming up next summer, an old friend of mine is getting married and he and his fiance have asked lil' ol' me to make their wedding cupcakes! So, we did a tasting and tried out a couple of designs to help them decide what they'd like to share with their guests on their special day.

As you might guess, their wedding colour is this pretty soft blue. They requested daisies, so I made these pretty fondant daisies and sat them atop triple chocolate cupcakes and a mountain of vanilla icing. The couple also enjoyed the french vanilla cupcakes so we decided on using both designs, the daisies on the chocolate cupcakes and the mini flowers on the french vanilla cupcakes. I can't wait for the wedding. I'll be sure to share the photos once all the cupcakes and the cake are complete!

Finishing out the month was my grandmothers 85th birthday. I feel like I've made a few 85th birthday cakes lately. My grandmothers favorite colour is green, so I made this sweetheart cake in green with some pink accents.

I created this beautiful basketweave by interlacing the green and hot pink and finished it off with some light pink roping, lettering and fondant flowers. I was so excited that with this delicious champagne and strawberry cake I had the chance to use my strawberry flavored Fondarific. It is sure to be a sweet surprise.

Well, that was all for this month. I've got some fun ideas for Thanksgiving: cupcakes, cake pops and cake bites, yum yum! I'll show you the step by step on those treats soon. If you're stopping by from the good old US of A you'll have lots of time to try them out before Thanksgiving... it's a lot sooner here in Canada, but I'm not complaining, I LOVE TURKEY! Almost as much as I love cupcakes.... hmmm that gives me an idea... turkey... cupcakes....
Ok, maybe not.

Until next time,
Happy baking, caking and tasting!

Love and sprinkles, xoxo