Thursday, April 26, 2012

Nothing bunt cakes

I came into work the other day craving something sweet and my wish was answered when I saw these tiny little bunt cakes from Nothing Bunt Cakes. They're almost like cupcakes! They were a day old so the cake was a smidge dried out but the cream cheese frosting made up for it. I can imagine how yummy it would've been fresh.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Cupcakes Make All Birthdays Better!

Happy Monday Everyone!! Here are some more fun-filled cupcake creations from birthday parties that I just had to share them with you!! Hopefully you are inspired to create your own cool cupcake masterpieces :) ~~~N
 These cupcakes look like they came straight from a beautiful garden! I dont know if the picture does them justice, but they were some of the largest cupcakes I have seen. I'm sure they were packed with yummy chocolate flavor and that the birthday girl felt very special with her selection of pretty cupcake flowers
 Aren't these the cutest things you have ever seen??? They are almost too cute to eat....almost!! Marshmellows and chocolate chips were used to make the eyes and licorice strips to make the smile. Topped with a sweet green frosting to complete the froggy cupcake tower. These 6 year olds were definitely not disappointed with these sweet treats.
This is the perfect birthday cupcake for a Rockin Birthday Party!! The guests at this party could still feel like they are on the trampolines without actually jumping! The cupcakes are hidden under all the frosting for easy pulling apart. A fun trampoline cake for a fun trampoline birthday is a perfect match!


Want to have the best birthday party ever?? Follow this link for a Rockin good time!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Cupcakes for Breakfast

Yum! Today, I had mini blueberry muffins for breakfast. Then I had this brilliant idea! If I had put a little bit of frosting on top and I would've had cupcakes for breakfast! I found this mouth watering recipe from Foodie with Family. Both the picture and recipe are straight from website. Enjoy!



Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • grated zest and juice of a lemon
  • 1 cup milk, divided
  • 2 cups of fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained), tossed with 3 tablespoons of flour
    To Serve:
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
  • additional lemon zest

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Line 24 muffin tins with muffin papers (you may have enough batter to make a few extra cupcakes, so if you have more tins and papers, keep them handy.)
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer or sturdy spoon, cream together the softened butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed or until light and fluffy and even. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs -one at a time- beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract.
Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix in well, add about 1/3 each of the milk and lemon juice and mix well. Repeat until they are used up, ending with the milk and lemon juice.
Shake any excess flour from the blueberries and gently fold them into the cake batter. Fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3 full of batter. Tap the pan gently on the counter two or three times to settle the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the center and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out without gooey batter on it.
Turn out of the pans onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Store the cupcakes, unadorned, at room temperature in a tightly covered container for 3-4 days.

Just Before Serving:

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer or whisk) on high speed, whip the whipping cream and confectioner's sugar until it holds a peak when the beater is removed from it. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream onto the cupcakes and top with a pinch of fresh lemon zest.

Rainbow Cupcakes


Turn the brown and white color scheme into a rainbow! A pot of sprinkles awaits at the end. :)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

More creative cupcake creations!

Another busy and fun filled weekend of birthday parties at my work. When I saw these two birthday cupcake creations, I knew I had to share them on Sweets4Soul! The first is a cupcake garden complete with Oreo dirt, gummy worms, and edible flowers! Honestly one of the best birthday desserts I have seen to this day. The next are cute Cookie Monster cupcakes. This party went all out with the Cookie Monster theme with a dozen character balloons of Cookie Monster himself, blue tableware, and goody bags. These cupcakes were not only cute as can be, but extremely delicious! ~~~~N

Kara's Cupcakes at Ghiradelli Square

Last stop on our cupcake tour was Kara's Cupcakes located in Ghiradelli Sqaure. Kara's is an extremely popular cupcake shop that we are always hearing about, but have never been to! We both decided it was a must taste on our journey. Kara's has many other locations so you don't have to go far for a sweet treat. When we ordered our cupcakes, they were placed in cute individual boxes to make us feel like we were opening a present. The surprise inside was the perfect end to a great day!



A: I think I ordered the Caramel Banana flavor. I don't remember because I was in a sugar coma but I do remember it was very tasty! The giant blue sprinkle on top excited me! The inside was filled with warm caramel while the outside was a moist banana cake. I never thought the two flavors would taste good together...but they did. My final cupcake topped it off.

 

N: I had the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcake. Since chocolate and peanut butter is my weakness in life, I felt I had no other choice but to go for that one. I was in paradise when I had my first bite and felt like I had just been transported to cupcake heaven. I definitely wished I had some milk to counter the rich flavor, but enjoyed it nonetheless. The cake was perfectly baked and the peanut butter frosting was amazing. I could eat the frosting alone with a spoon for hours!

American Cupcake


The next stop on our San Francisco cupcake adventure was American Cupcake on Union Street. It was the perfect pit stop after a bit of walking and an exciting ride on the Muni Bus. The shop was very modern with white tables, chairs, and walls, with pops of colors from the lighting. The cupcakes were also very modern looking with their simple toppings and flavors. American Cupcake also serves brunch, lunch, dinner, and a variety of other delicious desserts. One day we will go back and try all of their other crazy creations such as the Pink Popcorn flavored cupcake or the Red Velvet Fried Chicken (yes the batter is red velvet and they fry it!)
N: I had the Worms and Dirt Cupcake. Worms and Dirt was a fond childhood memory of mine so I wanted to see how it translated in cupcake form, and it did not disappoint. The chocolate cake and the simple buttercream frosting were a perfect match. It was topped with Oreo crumbles which added the perfect crunch and two fun colored gummy worms! A definite two thumbs up!

A: I tried the Black & Tan cupcake. Isn't that also a beer? Well fortunately this cupcake didn't taste like beer. It had a slight coffee flavor. The powder pink frosting on top was the icing on the cake...ha! It was very sweet and creamy. I'm not sure why, but I really like sprinkles. The sprinkles on this cupcake made all the difference. It was a challenge eating this dainty cupcake, daintily! Three thumbs up!