100!

This is my 100th blog post.  It seems like such a large number and I am coming to grips with how many stinkin' cakes I've made!
This week's cupcakes were pulled from Southern Living's Big Book of Cupcakes (same place I got the recipes last week for the Key Lime Pie cupcakes).  That book is amazing.  Say what you will about the internet being a great resource for recipes, I've never had a recipe from a published book go awry.
These cupcakes are a Scattered Lavender cake (fancy way of saying there's lavender flowers in there) with a Honeyed Mascarpone frosting, topped with lavender brittle (SO fun to make!) and a few lavender flowers.

So happy with this recipe!  Instead of using the regular butter cake recipe as the book suggests, I added about 2t crushed lavender to the mix during creaming.  It really added something.  The brittle looks awesome in the pictures and is fun and delicious to eat by itself, but as part of a cupcake, for me, it was a bit annoying to have basically a piece of sugar glass messing up my creamy frosting!
Happy caking, happy eating, happy Spring!

Key Lime Cupcakes

I decided to try out a new recipe, and thus I present to you Key Lime Cupcakes!

SOOO yummy!  White Citrus cake with Key Lime filling and whipped cream frosting, dusted with graham cracker crumbs and a few strips of lime zest!
This was so good.

More Princess Dresses!

So you remember a few posts back when I made some Disney Princess Dress cupcakes and fell in love with them?  I had another chance to make some so I did that with a few changes.  I didn't manage to take any pictures of the finished cupcakes myself but the client was kind enough to take these for me!

Snow White and her apple.  I think this one is my favorite.  You can see Rapunzel peeking out from behind her a little bit.  I didn't get a picture of Rapunzel by herself.  I like the little ruffled lace at the top of her corset and the painted scrollwork on the skirt.

Belle, a close second.  I love the draping.

Cinderella, a classic princess!

Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

Tiana from Princess and the Frog, with her cute little leaves and vines!

My original thought was to make little items to go with each cupcake, like the apple on Snow White's dress.  However, I did the apple, then spent 20 minutes trying to make a tiny high heel out of fondant and just gave up.  I would put the slipper with Cinderella, a rose with Aurora, a book for Belle, a frog for Tiana, and a frying pan for Rapunzel.  Wouldn't that have been cute?  Yeah.  I think so too.  However, the client didn't ask for it and I just lost the inspiration trying to make that stinking little shoe :)

This is a great picture of the top view that I love!

Pastels and SpiderMan Cupcakes!

I think I'm really getting into doing cupcakes recently, which is something I always thought took more time than they were worth.


This first cake was...difficult.  I know it doesn't look like it, but for some reason everything went wrong!  I ended up finishing the cake at midnight and when I woke up in the morning at 5am, I hated everything about how it looked so I tore off all the frosting and made it all again!  Both the cakes and cupcakes were airbrushed to be pearly.

The Spiderman Cupcakes were a surprise.  We went to visit relatives down in Virginia Beach and through a series of miscommunications, I didn't make cupcakes to bring.  Then commenced a fun filled rush to the store with a packed car of family, including two teenage girls and two five year old boys :)  It really was fun!  The girls (who are my nieces) helped me pick out the design for these cupcakes and helped to decorate them.  I had more fun with these little cupcakes than I thought possible.  The picture was taken by my Niece's Instagram and I think there's some kind of filter on it but you get the general picture.

I heart my nieces!