4th of July

 

Very busy lately.  Have hardly been home at all but I really wanted to make some cupcakes for the 4th.  So I made these from a BOX!  Even made the frosting from a box!  

 

 Evidence of the "made from a box" cupcakes.  At least I baked them myself.  

 Interesting frosting.  Added some softened butter and a bit of warm water.  Then I checked the ingredients of the frosting box.  Powered sugar.  That's pretty much it!  I paid a premium price for powdered sugar in a cool box.  I'm pathetic.  That's what I get for trying to take short-cuts. 

I added a little extra water and made it almost glaze-like.  After I frosted the tops, the frosting dripped down around the sides.  Looked super yummy. 

I didn't get to taste them so I guess I'll have to make this "recipe" again.  

Only I think I'll make my own box of powdered sugar. 

Maci-cakes turns 2

My 2-year-old birthday girl!  Love her so much. 

Maci had a Birdie-themed birthday party this year.  

Just a small party with some family and close friends. 

I made a basic white cupcake mix.  Used cake flour and raw sugar. 

I used the mixer bowl for the butter and sugar.  So to beat the egg whites, I used just a plain mixing bowl and lifted it up with a cutting board.  It actually stays in one place too.

Folding in the egg whites.  I always feel like such a fancy baker when I'm "folding" egg whites.

Used little tulip cupcake holders.  Love them.  They worked well because the cupcake topping was so high.  It all stayed contained inside the petals. 

Didn't weigh each cupake this time.  Just kind of eye-balled it.

Cupcakes were topped with a white 7-minute frosting (which, by the way, takes way more than 7 minutes to make).  And a macaroon nest with malted eggs.

Had a chance to use my new cupcake stand from Williams Sonoma.  

A Christmas gift from my sister-in-law.

Party favors for the adults was a boxed set of the cupcakes. 

Black & White

 Lemon Poppy seed cupcake with with fondant and a black embossed flower with gold balls.

Fyi, gold balls should be added immediately or else the fondant hardens and they don't stick anymore. 

 First you make the lemony part, then the egg white part then fold it together with flower and poppy seeds.

 Poppy seeds are folded in with a spatula.

I had to finish decorating them at Rosario.  We stayed there for the weekend then went to a birthday party the next day.  This is where I rolled out the fondant and topped them.  

The biscuit cutter was used to cut out the white circles.  The piping tip for the black circles and the clear stamp with the flower to stamp the black circle.

 Perfect circles, every time.