Cupcake Rehab on Cupcakes Take the Cake

My very first pal just absolutely made my day today! Marilla posted a wonderful guest blog on the Cupcakes Take the Cake Blog and she included me! I was so surprised and not to mention the heartfelt reaction of warmth I felt. She is a good pal and has wonderful ideas and blog topics. Along with me she posted some pretty amazing cupcake talent, you really have to check it out! Cupcakes Take the Cake Blog

This was the pic of our Sweet Cuppins she used!


And this is the cupcake I absolutely fell in love with:

"I think this is if not the most beautiful little cupcake I've ever seen, then close to it... made by rolling_star, it features a little girl and a tree made of fondant. All of her cupcakes are gorgeous like this so I suggest you take a peek."



Thanks Marilla And a Happy Christmas to you!

A Christmas Cupcake Story

We wanted a special cookie to serve with our cupcakes this Christmas. After a lot of research,and finally remembering Jessie Oleson's photo and post in October ... researching recipes ... as these come by many a name! We baked and baked a few "FAILS" for recipes and then we found the perfect cookie recipe.
We ended up altering a group of recipes to find the flavour we were looking for and came up with the following:

1 tin of Almond Paste (we ordered this from the Vanilla Food Co)
1 cup of butter softened
1 cup white granulated sugar
4 eggs carefully separated
1 tsp Neilsen Massey almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
green food colour paste or gel
red food colour paste or gel
1/2 cup of raspberry jam
1/2 cup apricot jam
16 ounces quality chocolate chips (no compounds)

Prepare 3- 13 X 9 inch baking pans with parchment paper, then spray a cooking spray on the paper. Do not omit this spray.
Break up your almond paste in a heavy duty mixer (we use our kitchen aid pro), then loosen it up further by beating in the sugar. Add softened butter and beat until light and fluffy. (we leave the mixer on med-high for 5 minutes) You will see why!
Add your egg yolks and extract and continue to beat very well. Using a hand mixer and clean glass bowl (no plastic) beat egg whites until just almost stiff.
Add 1/3 to your batter and stir up to loosen up texture, then fold in remaining egg whites. Your dough will be quite stiff but workable. It will then be the texture of finger paint. (sticky) I say this because we use our finger a lot on the process of fingerpainting it into the pan!
Then divide your dough up into 3 parts approx 1 1/2 cups each. Fold green colouring into 1 section and put aside. Repeat with pink colour on your second part of dough. Leave your final portion plain. Remember when shading your dough it will slightly fade during baking. Add colour a bit at a time until your desired shades are obtained. (we found an awesome way to reuse Starbucks splash sticks till the end of time, as they are great for picking up little bits of colour gel at a time and wipe clean so easily)
Spread each dough into prepared pan, remember each layer will be very thin. We use an offset spatula and our fingers.
Bake each layer as one batch in the oven to ensure even cooking because it is so thin. I find 7 minutes is ample time in a 350 degree oven.
After each batch make sure to loosen edges of large cookie and place a cooling rack over it ( do not try and take this large cookie out of the pan!) Then turn the rack and pan over letting the cookie fall down onto the cooling rack.
Layering: This is the yummy stuff!
We use real fruit jam that we prepare ourselves. Kraft or Smuckers works well too.
Line a large shallow baking tin with waxed paper. I use a jelly roll pan in the 9X 13 inch size.
Lightly spray the waxed paper, then prepare melted chocolate over double boiler.
Spead half the melted chocolate on the wax paper evenly. Kind of like fingerpainting =o)
Slide the green cookie layer onto chocolate covered waxed paper and cover with the apricot jam.
Carefully slide plain layer on the apricot side of cookie. Then cover with the raspberry jam.
Carefully slide the pink cookie atop the raspberry jam. Cover firmly with a strong plastic wrap and weight down with another pan or cooking board.
This must be chilled for 3-4 hours!
Prepare your chocolate again by melting it over a double boiler do not use direct heat. When melted spread atop pink layer.
When the chocolate is cooled cut large cookie into diamond shapes. Please do not make dough ahead of time, although these do freeze well after baked if stored carefully. Do not freeze after they are layered with the preserves and chocolate!
We think this is a gorgeous topper for a cupcake and although labour intensive it is quite easy with absolutely stunning results!
My motivation to use this cookie came from a blogpost done by one of my cupcake pals Cakespy, Jessie Oleson. If anyone knows desserts it would be her!
I have posted this picture from her blog and will be back to post our Rainbow Inspired Cuppin cakes when we actually have some left!!
Thanks Jessie!

Sweet Cuppin Pincushion #3

Sweet Cuppin Pincushion
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

Number 3 in our cupcake pincushion collection. Approx size is the same as a large cupcake! Well made and sturdy this little cupcake will last and last. We like it on our new catch all tray coming soon to our webstore!

Kitchen Fare for your Holidays

With Christmas fast approaching I decided to do a short blog on some fun Kitcheny cute items we carry in our store.
This batterfinger is a sure hit in the kitchen. It is actually useful as it gets in to all those hard to scrape places so you do not miss a spec of the yummy stuff.

Equal measure is a versatile measure cup that shows you interesting and factual equivalents. A great gift for the curious minded at heart.
Lastly we have the Fred o matic Blender timer where you can get your 70's groove on while you wait for your cupcakes to bake. It whirs it plays tunes from the 70's and while you are having all that fun it minds your cuppycakes so they do not burn. Pretty sweet deal!

Bake and Destroy Retro Pins

Bake and Destroy Retro Pins
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

They’re here! Exclusive “retro” Bake and Destroy pins by CagedTomato! Available only at Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery and Cupcakery Supplies! Candy colors- blue, pink and chocolate with sweet swirls and flourishes that express the softer side of baking and destroying. Get ‘em while they last. Heck, I don’t even have a set yet! ( I lifted this off Bake and Destroy's Blog) I could not have said it better.

They are hot!

Sweet Deal at Sandy's Iron Cupcake

Being as I am a huge fan of Iron Cupcake and also being a member, friend and corporate sponsor I felt I just must run a sweet deal to remind everyone SANDYROCKS!!
I really mean that! Sandy generously devotes her time in our cupcakey world to unite a lot of cupcakers, recipes and ideas. Personally I think she is terrific to hold these challenges each month.


Pop in see my buddy and how she runs the challenges, join and grab a sweet deal! Hope to see you in both venues.

Cupcakes certainly keep the world a happy place, or at least they should ;o)
Happy Holidays
Lyns

In the Meadow We Can Eat Some Snowballs

Truly gorgeous packaging and equally delicious inside, double dipped pretzel balls in creamy white chocolate. Perfect for a stocking , a walk in the park or to decorate your cupcakes of course. The box it comes in takes one back to a simpler time, a Jolly Christmas to All.
Find these treats at Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery.

$4.00 box

Fairie Cottage Cupcakes

These are absolutely marvellous. We came across this fantastic book by author Barbara Beery, titled Fairies Cookbook ages 6+

There is a recipe included for frosting that can incorporate one of our products in the webstore. Icing flavour powder! It is fantastic for decoration and adding flavour.

The recipe:
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp meringue powder
2 tbsp *icing flavour powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup warm water
food colour
Beat powdered sugar and meringue powder with water and optional vanilla until combined. Then beat to stiff peaks about 5 minutes. You can add more powdered msugar or water to get to a working consistency if necessary. Divide into several small bowls and colour with *icing flavour powders or food colour paste. Decorate with sweets and graham crackers.
The recipe calls for 6 large cupcakes with wrappers removed. I found that a dense cupcakecake like carrot works best.
Enjoy

Sprinkles and Taffy

2008 11 21 009
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

Tons of fun making these.

Lauren's Birthday Cupcakes

Lauren's Birthday Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

Happy 22nd Birthday to Lauren. We needed a special cupcake for a special gal. We made our triple chocolate, chocolate chip cupcakes and filled them with pink fluff consisting of marshmallow cream and philly cream cheese, tinted a wonderful pink.

pretty pinks

pretty pinks
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

Another cupcake inspired by my Tattered angels art supplies. These are very shimmery and hard to capture that on camera. They are stencilled with lustre dust after the buttery frosting sets.

Tattered Angels Used In Cupcakes

Tattered Angels Used In Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

We absolutely love the results of hand moulding chocolate on these stencils. The results are awesome everytime! This is not something that can be rushed. We will be selling these items soon, to lend to your creative cupcake endeavours.
Enjoy

Retro Christmas Tags

These are so awesome I had to share. Yes better than sliced bread Moda Home retro tags that are totally AWESOME!
You will find them in my web store for a very short period of time as we are down to 10 packets. I knew these would be popular and needed extra to share with my internet shopping pals. =o)
Enjoy!

$7.50 per package

Shipping Deadline December 10th

The good news came today from the post office, all USA shipments must be postmarked the 10th of December. So to be safe and to save high express costs remind yourself to order soon. We will be giving away our winter selection of cookie cutters ... one to each customer with orders above $20.00 We will select the giveaway cutter as quantity lasts. We will start with our Ann Clarke gorgeous snowflake cutter. Happy Shopping!

Remembrance Day In Canada and UK

Remembrance day in Canada and in the United Kingdom is celebrated on the Eleventh of November. The main symbol used is a poppy. This is used because the poppy grew on the battlefields of France and Europe in the world Wars. On this day we remember all those who have died to give us our freedom. These cupcakes are to remember this day.

Photo by http://www.cupcakerecipes.net

We are also honouring Veterans Day which is today in the United States. Please leave a comment as you remember a special someone. Thank you.

Cakespy and Cuppie have entered Our Webstore!

I have some more creative cupcakers news! Jessie Oleson, the one and only cakespy has become a part of our webstore. We are very excited to have this bright witty cupcake artist with us. I also happen to know that Jessie will do custom work, just make a request and I am thinking it will come to be!!!


Cakespy's mission is to spread happiness and sweetness through the world through joyful little pastries. Why not add some sweetness to your life by buying Cakespy stuff? A big welcome to Cakespy and Cuppie!!

Extracts and Holiday Baking Quality

What about Imitation Extracts and Flavourings?
When shopping for extract, you’ll quickly notice there are many inexpensive imitation extracts and flavourings in the marketplace. This is especially true with vanilla extracts. Why are these products so much cheaper than Nielsen Massey extracts? The answer is simple - quality.
The first place to look is the ingredient label. Many inexpensive products do not contain the primary ingredients of pure extract - vanilla and alcohol. Most likely, you will not find the word 'vanilla' within the ingredient list at all! In fact, looking closely at the product labeling, you will notice these inexpensive products are labeled 'Vanilla Flavouring' not 'Vanilla Extract'.

Another product to be aware is ‘Imitation Extract’. Imitation extracts are derived from synthetic vanillin - which mimics the natural flavour of vanilla. The most common sources of synthetic vanillin are Lignin Vanillin, a by-product of the pulp and paper industries and Ethyl Vanillin, a coal-tar derivative. Not very appealing!

In the end, quality often costs a little more. And when it comes to baking, quality ingredients are an important factor in creating great tasting food. We encourage you to bake with pure extracts and avoid synthetic, imitation extracts and flavourings. Nielsen Massey pure extracts are the preferred choice of professional pastry chefs and bakers for a reason.

The eye of my apple

This Halloween brought the disappointing news that my son's class was not allowed cupcakes. I gasped. Truly a cupcake? It stopped us in our tracks momentarily and then I got an idea, a wonderfully, horrible awful idea, it was delicious. Behold the eye of my apple.
Emmett was so happy as well as the children. The teacher was thrilled. As I looked over the "spooky veggies" not! I left the class and grinned to myself thinking how scary is broccoli, really? The eye was a small deviate of the "no sweet" rule, but accepted as I explained they are white chocolate. For christmas I am planning a carrot log cabin, with broccoli wreaths, pimiento bows and cauliflower snowmen. Pffft to no cupcakes!

Pumpkin Cupcake Filling and Frosting with Boiled Raisin Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcake Filling and Frosting
1 8oz package cream, softened
2 jars marshmallow cream
15 oz solid pack pumpkin
1 tbsp cinnamon (saigon)
1 tub Cool Whip (500 gr)
Beat cream cheese and marshmallow creamuntil smooth. Stir in the pumpkin and cinnamon. Refridgerate. This can be used as a yummy filling.
To make frosting simply fold 500ml Cool whip into the mixture. Chill slighly and pipe onto any spicey harvest pumpkin, or apple spice raisin cupcake. I love My Mum's Boiled raisin Cake recipe for this, baked up as cupcakes, filled with the first method and a dollup of frosting with the second method. Yum.
Mum's Original recipe:

I make these up into 20 large cupcakes and fill with Part A of the above recipe and frost with Part B of the recipe.
Enjoy!
Published in honour of my Mum. <3

Halloween Tricks for Treats

Forget to buy cupcake toppers? Can't send frosting to school but your little goblin wants to bring a snack? I came across a couple of really great ideas in Taste of Home. Something that was not part of my reading regime until recently. I like this idea as a cupcake topper. Quick, easy and has that ever popular sweet salt taste that is so trendy now.
Pretzel Pumpkin Grahams
Simple enough: Providing you have graham crackers (I now make it a staple pantry item) and small pretzel twists (another must have pantry item)
"Taste of Home" suggests you use melted white chocolate to dip the pretzels and that is cool if you have an exotic pantry. A simple fix for this is to make a simple cream cheese dip (a frosting but with waaay less sugar)
My recipe:
1 cup confectioners sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
orange colouring
Dip the pretzels and refridgerate, this makes cutesy little pumpkins.
You can cut up raisins and fruit snacks to decorate them, plunk them on a graham cracker, secured with a dollup of cream cheese frosting and there you have it. SNACK!
The little pretzels do make adorable pumpkin shapes. The photo is from Taste of Home to show you their chocolate coating.

Cupcake Rehab Does it Again!

A time for slime and monsters and goo, Hallowe'en and friends who are true!
I sent Marilla some eyeballs and asked see what you can do. She said SURE! Well she never disappoints, and her vanilla deal cracks me up! These monsters as are written were inspired by S L I M E. ick You can check out my friend over at cupcakerehab for the recipe. Vanilla of course.
It is yummy.



A Big Thanks to you Marilla. I love all the pics you took, but only lifted one. HAHA!
I feel like breaking into song ... You are my cuppy cake sugar plum pumpy umpy umpkin ... ok I think you get it. Happy Hallowe'en!

They're here!

They're here!
Originally uploaded by Bake & Destroy

The Tshirts are awesome!

More Talent and Cupcake Pals

As the travel on the net continues, I keep finding all these awesome people. I vowed this week I would write about them and their talents. As we all should appreciate our inspirations. The next cupcakkie I met after Marilla (cupcakerehab) is Natalie (bake and destroy) This was exciting for me because I love her Etsy shop and her incredible baking savvy. We have picked up her little bake or die ninja pins, her wonderful quality t's, her B&D pins and also her awesome Hallowe'en toppers. Both the movie poster and the nostalgic kid's. Extreme quality here which impressed me so much I asked Natalie if she would like to design an exclusive for Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery.
When Natalie agreed I went over the moon TWICE!!! So watch for Bake and Destroy by Caged Tomato soon!
There is so much more I could write about Natalie but you should have the pleasure to discover this cupcake lass yourself!




Photo lifted off Natalie's Flickr post. Thanks natalie!

Let them eat cake!

In all actuality I have learned the famous quote included the word brioche not gateau. So in fact Mary Antoinette had said let them eat sweet bread. I have no problem with that, in fact after being inspired by two pals I have met recently (Zoe and Jessie) I have been turning bread into a giant cupcake of sorts. My son is eating it!!

So it begins: I get a book, a wonderful book http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ It wasn't until I spoke to Zoe that I learned about this gem she had published!

The dough begins in the bowl as a sort of blobbish thing. An hour later it is alive!

An hour later we have steam baked the bread and voila a beautiful loaf of bread. No eggs, no sugar, no oil. Pretty amazing do you not think? I love it.


Now comes the cupcake issue. We decided to lightly "flour it" with a scant tablespoons of confectioners sugar. Then let fresh butter lightly glaze over (by melting) This certainly stirs up those anticipation feelings.


After we watched the butter melt down and around the bread, it was time for a simple toppper. We decided on a lone cherry of course. I think this is actually a cupcake icon for Emmett. I just do not think I could put a cherry on a slice of Haddock and get him to eat it willingly. I digress. The cupcake bread is now ready for the final touch.


The Lone Cherry! Looks cupcakish to me. Ready for the final test.

I know there was a saying, " The proof is in the pudding" I think the "proof" is in the bread.
We did not even have to use the "proof " process though. Impressive, yes! I will leave you with an image of the first slice off and go take another loaf out of the oven this morning. Thanks be to you Zoe! I will never buy another loaf of bread.


Cheers!

Neilsen Massey For Kings and Queens

Saturday, 11/25Culinary Destinations: ChicagoMatt Nielsen, COO and third-generation co-owner of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, the finest extract producers in the country. Since 1907, the family owned company – now in its third generation – has been making flavorings in the purest, most natural way in a Chicago suburb.

Craig, Matt and Beth Nielsen are following in the footsteps of their father and grandfather by using a proprietary, cold extraction process that gently extracts the complex flavor components (more than 300!) from the vanilla beans and then preserves them in jewel-like bottles to be sold for flavoring dishes from delicate pastries to sauces for lobster.
Cookbook author, Gale Gand, host of the Food Network “Sweet Dreams” and executive Pastry chef/partner at Tru Restaurant, says, “When I need to know anything about vanilla, I run to the Nielsen family.”
Craig, Matt and Beth take pride in the Pure Vanillas products they produce, as well as their discriminating customers who appreciate the quality, flavor and varied functionality. The United States consumption of vanilla beans is approximately 1,400 tons per year.
A favorite of kings and queens, the Nielsen’s can share with your listeners the romance behind the bean.
Posted by Barbara Howard at 8:42 AM
Labels: Chicago, Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, Vanilla


www.acupcakery.com Available in this fine webstore.

http://blogtalkrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/ahhvanilla-nielsen-massey-favorite-of.html

Bone Bites!

Bone Bites!
Originally uploaded by mommawants1more

What a neat decorating idea. Posted by mommawants1more
Cheers

Stuffed Chocolate Chippin Cupcakes

I had referenced cupcakes we make for my son in an earlier blog and have been asked numerous times to share the recipe so here goes:

Stuffed Chocolate Chippin Cupcakes
3 cups all purpose flour OR
(2cups all purpose flour
½ cup ground flax
¼ cup whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar
½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder 71% cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold water
1 cup cold beet juice
1 cup Omega 3 enriched cooking oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ½ cups chocolate chips or any dried fruits nuts etc

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cupcake liners. Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into bowl ( if substituting sift all substitutions in) Mix liquids together in a measure cup then add to dry sifted ingredients. Quickly mix. Divide batter with disher equally among 20 cupcakes. Sprinkle tops with chocolate chips and desired bits. Bake in 350 oven for 23-25 minutes.
Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese
1 tbsp omega enriched cooking oil
1 ¼ tsp vanilla
¾ cup + 3tbsp dark cocoa powder
4 cups confectionary sugar ( sometimes more)
This makes a LOT of frosting.
When cupcakes are cooled cut out a small cap for filling. Fill with 1 tablespoon strawberry Motts applesauce. Put plug back in. Frost over choc chips and dried fruits.
We found the cutest little apple mouths with almond teeth to decorate the tops in the disney fun section. Enjoy

Cuteness and Cupcakes

Miso Pretty Change Purse. A clever little design at $4.50 Measures 4w" X 3h" Vinyl covered and wipable. Keep little things organized or stash your cupcake cash. A perfect gift for the gal that loves cuteness and cupcakes.








You can see our entire selection in my webstore at http://www.acupcakery.com/ I am posting my fave on here. Enjoy!

Dipping Fudge * New Product

Introducing our dipping fudge! This is an absolutely fabulous product we make fresh each week. This little Thanksgiving treat is an apple dipped in our creamy fudge and decorated as Turkey Tom. You can also mimic this on a cupcake. I LOVE IT!! Our kit includes enough creamy fudge for 6 apples, 6 apple sticks, 15 eyes, 25 Candy Corn Brach's, 6 Jumbo cupcake liners for your creation and 8 cello wraps for your apples. You need to supply the apple, cashew nut and licorice piece. Fudge quantity is enough to cover 6 medium apples.

Turkey Tom dipping Kit $13.99 from http://www.acupcakery.com/ Orders are processed each WEDNESDAY so please allow enough time for shipping.

Halloween Sale

We discussed a sale and decided sure we will do it. Although I never really liked the ideas of sales, they are a great thing to offer customers. So here goes! Most of our Halloween stock is now reduced to AWESOME prices. The reason I do not like sale is people think it is old stock, I assure you this is not. we just do not want it to turn to old stock. Yeuch! Enjoy the sale!

www.acupcakery.com

The Jo!e Honey Dipper

Hallowe'en Blog posts have to be put on hold now. Our new stock is arriving fast and furious, and I am continuing to think outside the box. I got to thinking one day how this little gem would work decorating cupcakes. It is fantastic! You can really make a splash with this tool. I should also mention it is a pretty little tie on with a cookie cutter.

I love this one!

http://www.acupcakery.com

Hallowe'en Blog Party Welcome!

Please click on link to open the door and join the party. Welcome. Don't forget to sign the guestbook. Thanks for coming. http://sweetcuppincakeshalloween.blogspot.com/

Trick or Sweet Rubber Stamps

Trick or Sweet Rubber Stamps
Originally uploaded by cakespy

These are so adorable! I had to share this, perhaps soon they will have these Gems available. I have to say I adore Cakespy anything!

Suprises from Lindsay!

Suprises from Lindsay!
Originally uploaded by Bake & Destroy

Cupcakes are brilliant, they bring awesome people together. Thanks to Natalie <3

The Wee Little Tea Pot

I absolutely fell in love with this Bethany Lowe Kitty Teapot. What a perfect little pot to have ready for your chilly trick or treater! learning at a very young age, when Gran started putting out the sublte little changes. (Like a Black Cat Tea pot) The magic was to begin!

Loving Halloween the way I do, I would wait for the tissue garlands, the honeycomb Ornaments to begin appearing. Pumpkins watching me come up our sidewalk, I would wave to them and grin! I knew they were getting ready for the great events to come.

We are getting ready here too. Our Halloween blog party is not too far off and I am feeling so excited!

http://www.acupcakery.com/spooky-time-tea-pot-cat.html

In Just a Few Days... The Party ! What is my Friend getting up to?

Mystele I am absolutely positive we are getting up to Hallowe'en Mischief. Stay tuned for the Party everyone!

Lyns

Our Winner! Congrats!

Sweet Cuppin Cakes Giveaway Winner
Jessica Lagana is our Sweet Cuppin Cakes Giveaway winner. Jessica said,"I really like the picket fence cupcake wrappers! How cute will those be for spring!?!"I hope you enjoy making your completely adorable Halloween cupcakes with all of the fun stuff you've won. CONGRATULATIONS!


Please be sure to enter your cupcake creation in our Halloween cupcakes contest.

Keeper of The Cheerios: The Sweet Cuppin Cakes Giveaway

Keeper of The Cheerios: The Sweet Cuppin Cakes Giveaway

Sweet Christmas Double Cuppin' Cupcake Liners

2008 10 11 005
Originally uploaded by acupcakery

We are not afraid to double cup TM
Anyone who knows me really well, will tell you I cannot wait. It is simply not a part of my character. Here is why. When I get all stoked and excited about something I feel guilty that somebody else can't as well. So I let it all out of the bag! Always. I can keep a secret though, that is different. These beauties are no secret. Just in, I am absolutely delighted with these Christmas Cupcake Liners. As you see they are indeed "double cupped" GLORIOUS! You can find them in my webstore www.acupcakery.com Are they not just loaded with potential. We also sell the sprinkles that match up so well. That was no accident =o)