Root Beer Float - Tweaked

If you read my first Root Beer Float Cupcake post, you know how I feel about these. And you also know that I rely on others to tell me what they think of them.

Last time around, I was told there wasn't enough root beer flavor. So this time, I used root beer in the batter as well as add extra root beer flavoring.

I made a vanilla icing a bit different this time since I didn't want these to look pretty...I wanted them to look frothy! I also had Twizzlers from my last round of slushie cakes to use on them. I even got to use them BEFORE people snuck in to steal my little straws away!

From my hubby's prospective, this round was much better...especially served cold. Thank goodness!

Slushie Cake Flavor Adds

So far, my most popular post has been my cupcake that started it all just over a year ago: the slushie cake!

I was asked to make some for my goddaughter's GLEE-themed 16th birthday party. Specifically, 4 dozen of them. I asked which flavors to make & was told, "all of them." Well, I started figuring out where to go from there.

OK, so I decided on 6 flavors. My original 4 (cherry, grape, lemon-lime, orange), but thought I'd add berry blue (instead of the very sour blue raspberry-lemonade) and strawberry. And I want to say that the rainbow in the oven was gorgeous!

Once they were out (so glad I can bake them all at once), I decorated them this morning. It's tedious, but it's pretty nice to try to relax frosting, spraying & sugaring each cupcake. Yes, the process is done one-at-a-time, and I did it will all 48 of them.

After I got all the batter separated out into different bowls to add flavor to, I ended up with some extra of each flavored batter, so I got to try out my new toy:
mini cupcake pan. I will have to say that having all of the colors together in the same place looked like Skittles...you could imagine tasting the rainbow!


I also decided to call my little cuties "flavor bites". So much fun!

Well, after the party, I left 11 behind, and more were being consumed as I left. I think they went over very well!

Piña Colada Cupcakes

So the summer is coming to a close, but we still want to hang on to the laid back summer feel. How can we do this? With a drink that makes you think of paradise - Piña Coladas! So...doing what I do...it's gotta be a cupcake!

These tasty little gems were inspired by adding Jell-O's summertime edition flavor pudding. I was going to add it to my batter for the umph. My first batch tasted so yummy...but they didn't set up right & I couldn't figure it out. As I finished baking them (thinking it was the pudding addition), I realized I forgot something really important: eggs. *sigh* So I had to redo them...

I went to try to find more of the pudding mix, but my close-by stores didn't have it. So I had to be creative. I used pineapple juice, coconut extract & rum extract to get my flavoring right. I added actual coconut to the bottom of each baking liner, too. I topped each one with the same flavored buttercream - Piña Colada! I made the regular buttercream & added crushed pineapple (drained), coconut (plus some extract), and rum extract so the flavor would be consistent throughout the whole cupcake. I also cut several pineapple slices into 1/8s & baked them on a separate cookie sheet to dehydrate them a bit so I could garnish the top of each cupcake with a piece.

I am so pleased with how these turned out! They turned out quite a bit better than my Margarita Cupcakes, for sure!

Now, can someone please have a luau so I can bring them?

Auburn Neapolitan Cupcakes

I recently was asked to make some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing for a friend. However, when I made them, I think I may have added too much liquid, so they ended up...ummm...not right. Tasting OK, but I would never deliver them to anyone & be all right with it.

But somewhere it made me start thinking that I might be able to try a red velvet icing...hmmm...

So I baked vanilla cupcakes with a strawberry flavored buttercream icing, topped with a red velvet buttercream. I call them Auburn Neapolitan Cupcakes! Like the ice cream, but with red velvet instead...so it's auburn...like my hair!

This time around, my red velvet icing attempt didn't set well, so I need to keep the cupcakes very cold! I added a little bit of sour cream...however, I think I got fat free sour cream, so it was separating within the frosting. Bummer. Cuz the flavor is really good!

They need a couple of tweaks, but the flavor is pretty good! Apparently...they taste like ice cream for sure!

S'More Cupcakes

Well, Happy National S'mores Day, everyone!

How should we celebrate such a day when it's too hot to sit around a campfire to toast your marshmallows? You make 'em into cupcakes, that's what!

I have wanted to make these for quite some time now. But my Rocky Road Cupcakes kept distracting me. But I had to be focused enough to make these cuties...so I did!
I made a rich devil's food chocolate batch of cupcakes with a crushed graham crust on the bottom of each cake. I left space in the middle to put my filling in...my marshmallow buttercream that I finally made on my tweaked Rocky Road cupcakes. I wanted to top these off with a couple of mini marshmallows...but then discovered that someone ate my mini marshmallows. Bummer. I had planned on toasting the marshmallows on top, but attempted to toast the marshmallow buttercream. It slightly melted into a film on top, but not the results I'd hoped for. I then made a delightful chocolate buttercream to surround the filling. I sprinkled a little more crushed graham on top & placed a Hershey bar piece in the center for the perfect garnish.
They are so adorable & so yummy! I want to make these again when I have some mini marshmallows to toast on top.

On that note...I wish you Happy National S'mores Day again, and hope you had a chance to have s'more, too!

Rocky Road Cupcakes - Tweaked

When I made root beer float cupcakes for my boys, I had to make something that my daughter & I could eat since we don't like root beer.

She had been wanting some Rocky Road Cupcakes that I have done before, but I felt it needed a bit of a tweak & I am very happy with how they came out!
Instead of just marshmallow fluff this time, I made a marshmallow buttercream for the filling! Oh, yes I did! Tried it after the marshmallow fluff expanded & dripped everywhere last time; the buttercream seemed to give it much better stability. I kept the almond crust at the bottom of each cake, then topped each with a ring of chocolate buttercream, mini marshmallows & sliced almonds on top. I baked these beauties in elegant black & gold baking liners.

Gourmet & Gorgeous!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Sometimes, you find yourself doing & creating things out of love, so you sacrifice yourself a bit & endure things you despise. These cupcakes fall into that category for me: Root Beer. Just the words turn my stomach, but the boys in my house love it. So...my 13-year-old son brought it up in passing once & thought, "Why not?"

I wanted to make these to taste like *gag* a root beer float. So, I found root beer flavoring & knew that's what I should use. I wanted to use my vanilla buttercream icing as the "ice cream" topper. I had plans to use some leftover Twizzlers as straws, like I do for my slushie cakes.

Keep in mind that I love doing quality control on my cupcakes...but not this time. I had to solely rely on my root beer lovers to give me their opinions & critiques. I served 'em up cold (root beer float - DUH!) but without the Twizzler straws. Apparently my hubby knew we had some & finished them off. Go figure.

As it turns out, as strong as they smelled to me (and made want to lose my lunch), the baking process weakened the root beer taste. So, I will have to try these again, against MY best judgement, and make sure to include the Twizzler straws next time, too.

I know that by becoming a cupcaker, people are going to ask for some odd flavors once in a while, and sometimes flavors we despise. Guess I gotta learn to suck it up & dive in for the clientele!

Margarita Cupcakes

It's been a little while since I've posted any cupcakes! Sorry for anyone who has been looking for new posts...but here you go!

Not too long ago, we were having guests over & I wanted to try a particular flavor of cupcake that would allow me to try the piping gel recipe I'd come across. Margarita Cupcakes! The cupcakes tasted like a margarita, I actually had a rim of a sugar/salt mixture around the edge, then I placed a dab of my homemade piping gel (margarita flavored, of course) in the center & topped it with a sugared lime slice candy.

Sadly, my piping gel didn't set well at all...and it melted over everything! However, sticky mess or not, they were tasty!! Our guests were surprised about the salty rim!

I just need to find a good piping gel recipe so I can flavor it on my own. If you have one I can follow, I would be greatly appreciative!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

OK...this is the first cupcake flavor I have done by request outside of family. The flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip!

I made up white cake mix & added 2 tablespoons of mint extract. I then added several drops of green food coloring. After I mixed that together, I added half a bag of mini chocolate chips. I just so happened to have these adorable green baking liners that I decided to use. I baked them up & they were smelling minty-delicious!

I then made up some creamy mint chocolate buttercream to top these little cuties off! Plus a few mini chocolate chips on top, too.
This request was also my first delivery, too! Super excited to hear how my buddy enjoyed his flavor. For the ones that stayed home...the family really enjoyed them! (Well, the ones who like mint, anyway.)

PB&J Cupcakes - Tweaked

I recently baked my PB&J cupcakes again, this time adding the strawberry filling, too, along with the grape jam filling I used before.

I also made a PB&J buttercream to go along with their respective flavors.

Next time...I may add a pie-like crust to the bottom, much like I used with the blackberry cobbler cupcakes!

It's so much fun tweaking & playing to make possible upgrades!

Oh, these were taken for a church potluck & then again for a church meeting. They were finished off & people were "smuggling" some home with them. I'd say they went over pretty well!

Blackberry Cobbler Cupcakes

Lately my kids have been having idea inspirations for cupcakes & my husband has been feeling left out. But he couldn't figure out what flavor he wanted.

Well it's Father's Day weekend & I wanted to find a flavor of cupcake just for him...but maybe one he wasn't expecting.

I dug into his childhood memories & remembered one of his favorite desserts: Blackberry Cobbler!

I rolled out, cut out & baked mini pie crusts in each baking liner, then added yellow cake batter on top of the baked crusts. I made room for filling to put the blackberries in. I also had my daughter help me cut out mini "leaves" from the rolled out crust remainder. I placed & arranged 3 leaves on the top of each cupcake before baking to be reminiscent of a pie/cobbler
While those were baking, I took fresh blackberries & began to make them into a syrup. Once the cupcakes were done & looking adorable, I spooned in about 3 berries into each center.

Now my hubby thinks that vanilla buttercream chilled tastes like vanilla icecream. I made a batch of vanilla buttercream & chilled it. With a melon baller, the chilled icing can be scooped & placed on top of a warm blackberry cobbler cupcake.

They are adorable & so yummy!! Happy Father's Day, honey!

Here he thought that I had planned carrot cake or pumpkin cake roll flavored cupcakes. He was pleasantly surprised!

Plus this is a perfect summer dessert, too!

M&M Cupcakes

My lil guy is getting creative with cupcakes too!

After being inspired with the banana cupcakes, he was really excited to do M&M cupcakes this time!

These are chocolate (devil's food) with mini M&M's inside. He then wanted to add chocolate icing on top & topped with more mini M&M's.

They were baked in liners that contained NO pink or purple! They are fun liners with a mod, geometric, circular pattern in blue, green, orange & white. Just perfect to hold an M&M cupcake!
The M&M's that were baked into the cupcakes acted as chocolate chips!

It's like you are eating a really big M&M!

Now my older kids are getting inspired too...be watching for upcoming cupcakes that they have been wanting!

Popcorn Cupcakes

When I made my cornbread cupcakes, it was to tide me over until I could try to make popcorn cupcakes! I wanted to do them ever since I found the red & white striped cupcake liners that made me think of a popcorn box. I have also seen some super cute popcorn decor for them online (which I used), but, if you haven't yet figured out, I have to go beyond that & make the cupcakes TASTE like popcorn, too! But how?

I used white cake mix & popped some salted popcorn. I then added margarine to it to help break it down a bit & give it a great buttery flavor. Then it went directly to the batter, handpicked to make sure no unpopped kernels made it into the cupcakes.

When those baked up, I made sure to use my filling "corks" to make way to fill the centers with a coconut buttercream. After I filled the popcorn cupcakes with the coconut buttercream, I spread a layer of it on top of each cake. This would be the "glue" for mini marshmallow topper. As I learned from other sites, you take the marshmallows & rip them in half; take 2-3 (3 works best) of the torn pieces, squish them together & it forms a "kernel". After each "kernel" was formed, I placed them all over the top of each cupcake, making sure to secure them to the icing. When the top of the cupcake was covered (about 15 "kernels" per cake), I had to take it a step further...I sprayed the tops with butter-flavored cooking spray.

It took 2 hours to arrange the tops of 24 cupcakes, but it did look like movie popcorn!

Not only to they look like a tub of movie popcorn, but it has a really great taste that isn't too sweet & isn't too over-the-top. I used the coconut in the buttercream to be reminiscent of the movie days of using coconut oil to pop the corn. YUM!

However, since there is actual popcorn in it...keep some floss around...you still get the fun pieces stuck in your teeth.

Banana Yellow Cupcakes

This round of cupcakes holds a very special place in my heart. Since I've started creating & baking my cupcakes recently, my 6-year-old son got inspired to create one, too! So, we made his very own Banana Yellow Cupcakes!

When he told me about them, he had it all planned out: banana cupcakes with a filling of banana slices, topped with yellow icing & yellow sprinkles. That boy knows what he wants! And then he asked if we could bake them in the foil liners that I used for the Outer Space Cakes. Why not? It's his creation!

They came out beautifully moist, absolutely adorable & totally tasty!! My hubby has proclaimed them to be one of his favorites. And my son helped me with pretty much every step of it! He made his own cupcakes!

So proud of him! And I love that my inspirations inspired him right back. In turn, it has inspired me back again for an upcoming cupcake I want to try.

Fried Sopapilla Cupcakes

When Cinco de Mayo came around, I was a little late in creating some fun cupcakes for it, but the inspiration gave me time to experiment & try for next year.

One of the things I thought of is a favorite Mexican dessert: SOPAPILLAS! So I wondered if you could fry a cupcake. That's right! I said FRY A CUPCAKE!

Well I was making some lemon-lime slushie cakes & some cornbread cupcakes for some friends, and I had some extra cornbread batter. I decided to bake the leftover seperately in a muffin pan without liners for experimenting in hot oil later.

I baked 'em up, heated my oil on the stove & fried the 6 cupcakes I made. As soon as I pulled them out of the oil, I dipped & rolled them in a cinnamon & sugar mixture. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top & then drizzled some honey on them just before consumption.

I thought about using a simple white cupcake to fry to do this, but the cornbread ones came out REALLY well!!

My boys LOVED them & couldn't wait to try more...I guess I should be making some more pretty quickly. Time to fry up some more cornbread cupcakes!

Chocolate Birthday Cake & Cupcakes

Well, since we all survived the "end of the world" (said totally tongue-in-cheek), we had my daughter's 15th birthday party. And she wanted devil's food chocolate cake...but...I found these fabulous cupcake liners to use for her birthday, so we went with a cake AND cupcakes! All devil's food.

OK...I was going to attempt Hello Kitty for her cake, but timing & space on the cake didn't really permit. Bummer. But I attempted zebra print on the cake. I probably should have let my cake-decorating mom do the cake, but I was determined!

But I was very happy with the cupcakes. The liners are adorable & I used white buttercream icing &, since she wanted "bling" & glitter, I added edible glitter in pink, purple & green so the cupcakes would also be sparkly.

And now that we have leftovers of cake...we can still enjoy them for a few days!

Cornbread Cupcakes

It is really interesting how & where inspiration comes from, isn't it?

I was at Hobby Lobby not too long ago when I came across these really great red & white striped baking liners. OK...they were in a section set up for Independence Day decorations, but I totally thought of...POPCORN! But how in the heck am I supposed to work a popcorn cupcake??

Until I figure that out, the "corn" part really stuck out! Mmmmm...CORNBREAD!

OK...for my southern friends who may be having a heart attack right now, I know how you are about your cornbread! And I know I have heard it stated that if cornbread had sugar in it, it would be called "cake". So, that's what I've done!

Who remembers going to Tippin's? They were (and still are) known for their pies...but...I loved going for their cornbread! With my sweet-tooth, I love the ginormous pieces of it that came out! So tall & so sweet...and it turns out the secret was that they added yellow cake mix to their cornbread batter!

Well?? That's exactly what I did! I added cornbread to my yellow cake! I then topped it with a honey buttercream icing to give a popcorn-type look!

Different & fun...and you can have it WITH the meal or AFTER the meal! (Or both.)

Rocky Road

Boy can I ever get in the mood for chocolate! This happens fairly often.

I had an idea to make S'more cupcakes. Don't worry, folks...they are coming! But then I got spontaneous thought to do Rocky Road ones instead! I'm not big on nuts, but I love me some almonds! Chocolate? Almonds? Add marshmallow? Yes, please!

These cakes are devil's food cupcakes that have marshmallow filling. There is also an almond "crust" on these babies, then I topped each one with some chocolate icing with a fluffy marshmallow center & topped with more sliced almonds!

I would like to let you know...they are REALLY good! And they hit the spot for that chocolate fix I needed!

Football Cakes

My son had his 6th birthday in January & wanted a football party. This is still early (and I mean EARLY) in me playing with cupcakes.

I am pretty sure I made a yellow cupcakes in some really adorable football baking liners I found. I frosted the top with chocolate icing & then made a few small horizontal lines across the tops & then dragged a toothpick down the middle of them. I wanted them to match the liners & give the look of football lacing.

They tasted pretty good, but I was going for more of the look with these. The kids (and adults) enjoyed them. These were to offset the chocolate "cutless" cake that I made. My mom is the big cake decorator...that is NOT my forte'! I'll stick to the cupcakes...

Hope Cakes

For Dr. Seuss' Birthday, when I made Seussy Cakes, I also made Pink Ink to drink...just like the Yink! LOL! Pink Ink consisted of me making a gallon of a strawberry pink lemonade concoction...it was pretty good, if I do say so myself! When my 14-year-old drank it, she told me, "*gasp* This tastes like hope feels." She got the amazing line from a book she was reading at the time, Paper Towns by John Green. But it got me thinking...a pink drink = hope. What a beautiful tie-in to breast cancer awareness!

Like many of us, we have had some sort of connection to breast cancer. I know of a couple of friends who have been through it, plus some family...and even some scares that makes you VERY aware! I am so glad they are OK now...PRAISE GOD...but it is never really over, and we must learn that it can truly happen to ANY of us...even you, gentlemen...

So...if that drink "tastes like hope feels"...then why can't I place that hope in cake form? DUH!

So I made strawberry pink lemonade-flavored cakes (based on my slushie cakes) with a strawberry filling, topped with a light strawberry-infused icing & a bright cherry ribbon on top.

I first made these for Mother's Day to take with us to my grandmother's house where we were going to have ALL mom's together! And I thought it was important since my mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor, my mom, where a couple of her sisters have had issues, and an extra scare within the family that we are still keeping an eye out on.

Well, we went to church first & then had to head straight to my grandmother's from there. Well, I wasn't thinking about it being over 80 degrees out that morning...and all of the icing melted into the cupcakes. I was devastated! Never even thought that through since we were running behind that morning. I thought I had some pix of my failures, but I guess I didn't. I wanted to show how sad they were & where my learning curve is for my cupcakes. I'm more sad that I can't share my tasty failures than I am sharing about them. But they still tasted pretty good.

So...I did redo my Hope Cakes & baked them in some adorable cupcake baking liners I found that are PERFECT! Pink swirl liners with bright pink cupcakes & a hot pink "ribbon" on top! I think it makes a statement. I also have displayed them in a new toy: a 4-tier dessert tray. I am much happier now.

And, on another note...our Pink Ink also goes by Hope Juice.

So...these are totally done in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness & for the survivors & fighters. Please be sure to check yourself...it could save your life!

Reese's Cupcakes

When I started making my cupcakes with the little hole for a filling, I noticed the little hole was about the perfect size for a Mini Reese's peanut butter cup. So...the wheels started turning...

I made a devil's food chocolate cupcake with a mini peanut butter cup (yes, Reese's) in the center with a peanut butter & chocolate icing.

If you are like me, you are an honest believer that peanut butter & chocolate are one of the most amazing couples to ever have gotten married! These cupcakes are total proof of that!

Raspy Strawmonade Cupcakes

Well, yesterday was Easter. When we gather to eat with our friends & family, it's a great time to bring out the grilling & barbecue entrees & fabulously light side dishes. Perfect time for veggies, salads, fruits, jellos, etc. It's also a great time to pull out some springy light & bright desserts, too!

So, for our 3 family gatherings yesterday, I made Raspy Strawmonade Cupcakes! They are lemonade cupcakes with a tart raspberry filling & a strawberry-flavored icing on top! Beautiful, bright & slightly tart. The raspberry filling is a raspberry jam that my aunt Karen made. She has fantastic jams, jellies & preserves! She sells them under Nine Shoes Farm!

They are a perfect cupcake for the spring & summer get-togethers! Oh...and they are delicious! Plus I finally used some very adorable baking cup liners that were part of a kit I got from my stepdaughter & mom-in-law for my birthday! So cute!

Outer Space Cakes

OK...these were WAY fun! Perfect for kids & kids-at-heart!

I needed white baking cups for some cupcakes (because I like color my slushie cakes to show through). At one point I could only find the ones that were with foil liners. I was baffled as to what to do with foil liners! However, it made me think of space. So...what if I made Tang-flavored cupcakes?

So, I made Outer Space Cakes not too long ago. Yes, they are Tang-flavored! I filled them with "lighter-than-air", almost gravity-defying marshmallow fluff. I colored the frosting with an edible silver pearl powder & added some blue food coloring to the decorating bag. Then, for the super fun final touch, I added pop-rocks to the top! And I baked them in the foil liners.

I took this batch to my son's kindergarten class for snack & they LOVED them!

These would be awesome for any out-of-this-world/space/rocket/astronaut/alien party!

Peanut Butter & Jelly

With my rising near obsession with creating & making cupcakes, I got some pretty cool stuff for my birthday recently to help me with the creation part of my ideas. One thing I got in particular was a cupcake pan & a device to help make way for fillings!

So, of all the ideas I had to try out the new device? Peanut butter & jelly cupcakes!

I made a peanut butter cake batter (YUM!) & then filled the centers with grape jelly. I then made a creamy, dreamy peanut butter & jelly frosting for the top.

I added a vanilla wafer "crust" on the bottom of half of the batch. So there was PB&J with crust AND crustless! I added crushed graham to the top of the cupcakes with the "crust".

Once I figure out the crust thing (see the previous Erin's Lush post), I should be able to adapt it here. So a future repost for this cupcake is a possibility, too!

I will also look to try this with strawberry jam/jelly. Looking to add a grape on top of the grape jelly filled & a strawberry on top of the strawberry filled ones! Of course, still crushed graham to decifer the difference between crusted & crustless.

Plus, add a glass of milk & some chips...you can have your sandwich AND dessert together, and still have a complete lunch!

Erin's Lush Cupcakes

My mom usually makes this really great pudding dessert (some consider it a salad) for St. Patrick's Day. It's a layered dish that has a crust, cream cheese layer, pistachio pudding layer, and then a whipped topping layer. It is SO good!! Love it when she makes it! I've even made it a couple of times, too. It's called Erin's Lush.

Well, if you haven't figured out yet, I am wondering how many different things I can attempt to put into cake form. So...why not Erin's Lush?

I attempted a crust that I tried to bake a little first...and it went "OK". So I tried it with just a crumble crust. Better, but very messy. So I am still working on the crust layer. So then I baked the pistachio cake with it. Then I made a marshmallow fluff & cream cheese icing that ended up with a beautiful iridescent sheen! Then it was topped with crushed graham.

As I figure out the crust thing, I will repost this. And since I missed a picture of this, too, I will repost with pix when I truly get it right! But...I must say, these were still VERY YUMMY!!

Seussy Cakes

I love doing themed things: costumes, parties, Christmas trees, baskets, and cupcakes, of course! One of my favorite times of year to play with food is March 2nd. This is the birthday of Dr. Theodore Gisele, also known as Dr. Seuss. So it's a lot of fun to bring some of his food from books to life, as well as be inspired by them!

This time I made Dr. Seuss-inspired cupcakes - Seussy Cakes!

These cakes are still using the slushie cake base, as do most of my first-run flavors, in lemon-lime. So they have a wonderful green color & a fabulously bright flavor! I then placed a thin layer of white icing on top & used red-cherry flavored icing to make stripes, like the hat of The Cat in the Hat! It ended up having a cherry limeade-type flavor to the overall cupcake!

I have more ideas to try with Dr. Seuss & cupcakes, but those shall come later!

Hope you enjoyed!