Cupcake Cake

Surprisingly enough, this was my very first cupcake cake!  When I received the request, I panicked a little.  I had heard of Zhu-Zhu pets, but how was I going to turn 36 cupcakes into something that resembled a hamster?

Thankfully, my task was easier than anticipated, and the birthday girl loved it!

And in case anyone is wondering, the particular zhu zhu pet I used as a model was Jilly :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Nutella Cupcakes

Have you ever had nutella?  If not, you're missing out!  Nutella is a spread made with hazelnuts and chocolate, and is delicious.

That being said, when I was running low on peanut butter, it was a natural substitute for the frosting!  Not having to run to the store at 9:30 at night?  Awesome.  Discovering Peanut Butter Nutella Buttercream?  Even better!

This delectable frosting topped some dark chocolate cupcakes and I garnished it with a mini peanut butter cup.

Peanut Butter Nutella Buttercream

adapted from Wilton

1/3 cup butter (softened)

1/3 cup shortening 

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup Nutella

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

4-6 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Add butter and shortening to bowl of stand mixer and cream until smooth and fluffy. Next, add the peanut butter, nutella, and vanilla, and mix until well combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl down and mix again.  Add the powdered sugar slowly, about a cup at a time;  the icing will look very dry.  Begin adding the milk/cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached, then beat until light and fluffy.  

Bridal Shower Cupcakes

These pretty cupcakes were made for a bridal shower.  They are feminine, but simple & elegant!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream & fondant toppers.

I knew the bride loves purple, & I wanted to do something special for her and her groom-to-be:

Cheeseburger In Paradise

This is easily my favorite cake that I have ever made.  A 6 year old requested her birthday cake to look like a cheeseburger, so that's exactly what I did! 

The "cheeseburger" is made of three stacked 10" cakes.  The bun is fondant, and the burger patty is chocolate buttercream.  The lettuce, onion, cheese and tomato are made out of fondant, also.  The sesame seeds are the real thing ;)

Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

These were made for a very special birthday girl who requested chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate buttercream.  I wanted to do something a little different with them, to break up the all chocolate, and in came the rosettes.

The little rosettes are cute and can be dressed up with it without sprinkles.  Hopefully the teacher apprieciated the conservative frosting job since these were for a class of kindergartners!

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffins are quite possibly the most perfect breakfast food.  I've made these muffins a few times, and they always turn out delicious.  These muffins are not overly sweet, but tender and full of juicy blueberries that pop in your mouth.  The secret ingredient, yogurt, also keeps them on the healthier side.

Blueberry Muffins
makes approximately 18 muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups yogurt (I used low fat vanilla)
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted & cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh is best, but frozen are ok)

Preheat oven to 375, and either spray muffin tins or line with wrappers.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.  In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, eggs and extracts together until combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until almost mixed.  Add the butter and the blueberries and continue folding; batter should be still lumpy.  Portion into muffin tin and bake for 20-23 minutes.

Enjoy while still warm!

Gourmet Caramel Apples

Caramel Apples are totally impressive & not quite as difficult to make as you'd think!  I wanted to share these Caramel Apples I made:

They're kind of like a Samoa (or Caramel Delite) apple - caramel, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, candied pecans & a drizzle of chocolate.

The beauty of caramel apples is that you can make them however you want to suit your tastes.  I also made some with mini M&Ms that I didn't get a picture of, but they were super colorful & fun!

Tips to make the process as easy as possible:

• Have all your toppings ready before you start to dip.
• Work quickly, one apple at a time.  Dip, then apply toppings right away.
• Place finished apples on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Beware of wax paper!
• Let the caramel set up for several hours before you move them around.