Cupcakes in Vegas

I was in Las Vegas over the Fourth of July and received the sweetest surprise!



Cupcakes!!! And lots of them.



They were from Kari and Brian of Retro Bakery. I "met" Kari through flickr when she was documenting her adventures in opening a bakery and I've been keeping up with her on Twitter, knowing that the next time I visited Las Vegas, I wanted to rent a car and surprise her at the bakery.

Fun! Fun! Fun! I've only been to a few cupcake bakeries. Sprinkles Cupcakes in Dallas and The Atlanta Cupcake Factory in Georgia. I know. There's something enormously wrong with that picture. So I was really excited to see Retro and check out their cupcakes.

Big problem. Right before I left, she announced they were going to be closed on the day I could come visit. On vacation of all things. Just my luck. Needless to say, I was bummed.

But, Kari did the sweetest thing. She sent some to the hotel for me the last day they were open. The Fourth of July. I couldn't believe it. I mean I've certainly never had cupcakes delivered to my room before. The bellman brought them up and for a minute I thought I was going to have to fight the guy for them. Even after I tipped him, he kept going on about them. I guess he wanted me to give him one. Well, that didn't happen. Sorry Mr. Bellman. These were all staying with me!



Can you blame me. I mean look at them. They tasted just as good as they look. And really moist too.



In the back is Pink Lemonade (Lemon cake topped with pink lemonade buttercream and hot pink glitter sugar). In the front: Hop Scotch (Vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream dipped in butterscotch ganache) This was one of my favorites!



Here we have Cinnamon Toast (Vanilla cake topped with cinnamon buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar). YUM!



And here… Milk & Cookies (Chocolate-chip cake topped with vanilla buttercream and a freshly baked mini chocolate chip cookie.) This is all wrong and all right, all at the same time. Another fave!



Left: Apple Cider (Cinnamon swirl cake topped with apple cider buttercream dusted with cinnamon and sugar) Front: Mint Chocolate Chip (Chocolate cake topped with green mint buttercream and mini chocolate chips) Right: Red, White & Blueberry (Blueberry cake topped with strawberry buttercream) This might have been my most fave. But it's a toss up with the Hopscotch.

Oh and, sorry about the lighting on some of these pics. The room didn't have the best angle for natural light.



But who cares about lighting when you have this much chocolate to look at. Left: Chocolate Fountain (Chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream and dipped in chocolate ganache). Right: Chocolate Covered Banana (Chocolate cake topped with banana buttercream dipped in chocolate ganache and sprinkled with walnuts) Back: Peanut Butter Cup (Chocolate cake topped with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate shavings) Who am I kidding… these were all faves.



But I didn't actually eat them then.



I left them all alone in the room while we went to get dinner. It was difficult, but I knew if I tasted even one, it would be all over. By the way, if you've been to Vegas, you can probably guess where I stayed by now.



And, later when we returned.



Let's just say there was a little cupcake carnage during the taste testing. I won't give you all the messy details, but I'm glad there wasn't a camera filming me.

And the best thing about these cupcakes, was having the rest of them again for breakfast.



Thanks so much for the Retro cupcakes, Kari & Brian. I hope to really meet you guys next time.



Do you have a cupcake bakery in your area that you want to try? One that you love or one that you've just heard of? I would love to hear your recommendations.

The Fourth

Freedom, independence & a marine named Carlos. Last week I was trying to decide what kind of Fourth of July sweets to make or if I was even going to make anything at all. Then I received an email from a reader's boyfriend and I knew I wanted to… had to… do something for the holiday.

Here's his letter. And by the way, I couldn't make anything sweeter than this.

Hi there Bakerella!

My name is Carlos and I'm a United States Marine, and have been one since 1998. If you wouldn't mind just giving my e-mail some thought, I'd be grateful. Here's the story:

My girlfriend just went away to Marine Corps bootcamp not yet a month ago. She LOVES to bake, but unfortunately didn't get much time to do so because her job took up most of her free time, so she lived vicariously through you. She's a fan of photography also, so your blog was a welcome reprieve from a long, hard day at the office. As you may or may not know, bootcamp for Marines is 13 weeks long; the only contact with the outside world is through snail mail. I miss my girlfriend immensely and while I know she's doing something for her country that she's always wanted to do, it's hard on me. I digress, she loves your blog. I know the 4th of July is coming up and I ask you this not only for her, but also for the men and women in the Armed Forces who really know and FEEL the meaning behind this holiday. I think it would be very patriotic and meaningful to bake and decorate something in the spirit of the military, not just flags and sparklers like everyone else is doing - but something to show people that our military needs support and we need to remember them while we're lighting off fireworks at the family BBQ. You know?

Now, I'm asking this because I think it would touch a special place in some of your reader's hearts. I'm willing to bet you have quite a following amongst military wives and/or girlfriends. How nice would it be to show your support? I've served 3 tours in Iraq and am due to go to Afghanistan for a year in the next few months. I won't get to see my girlfriend graduate from bootcamp in September, I won't get to see her looking sharp in her uniform, I won't get to see the pride on her face as finally, at 28 years old, she joins the ranks of The Few, The Proud... so this would be my chance to show her I thought of her. This is your chance to show you think of our military, as many others should be doing. Maybe it'll get people to look for ways to support us with baked goods? During the colder months overseas, my girlfriend would bake cookies and anything else she could that would hold up to the travel and heat, and send on enough for my whole platoon. A taste of home, a taste of love... opening up a box with the smells of back home was something you just can't explain. It was magical. My girlfriend didn't stop there though, she adopted Marines, Soldiers and Airman through Anysoldier.com and sent them care packages and notes of encouragement.

I realize I'm all over the place here, but trying to get my point across is difficult without writing you a novel. I think you get the gist. 4th of July is about more and I'd love to write my girlfriend a letter and say, 'Bakerella appreciates the Armed Forces, when you get back to the real world and have access to a computer... go see her 4th of July post.' Now, I don't know if you'll do this or not and it's fine either way. I just wanted to tell you a little story and hope that maybe a tiny blurb in your blog would entice your readers into caring just a tiny bit more and thinking just a bit deeper on our Independence Day.

I appreciate your time in reading this!

Carlos

What a sweetheart. When I read his letter, I immediately wanted to make and send something to surprise his girlfriend. I thought, how cute would it be for her to open a box of colorful cake pops! Then, Carlos informed me that they can't receive food during boot camp. I pictured her being forced to eat all the pops at one time and then made to run 10 miles or something. I don't think she'd like that too much. Picture it. Cute little cake pops. Marines. Lollipop sticks. Marines. Sprinkles. Marines. Not the best idea for her sake.

Now, I can't send her anything sweet, but I can send her these sweet simple words of appreciation.



It's not much, but I hope that if you do see this when your 13 weeks of boot camp are over, that it puts a smile on your face. And know that you and all members of the armed forces were thought of this July 4th.

Plus… that Carlos… he sounds like a keeper.

What about you? Is there someone on your mind… or in your heart… this holiday?

Hope you all have a happy, safe and sweet Fourth of July!

Good Morning

Can I interest you in some pancakes?

Some Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes?

With Orange Maple Butter?

I thought so. I had the same reaction when I saw these in the June issue of Martha Stewart Living.

They called to me. Basically begged me to make them. And I'm so glad I did.



First up… make the Orange Maple Butter. (I did this the night before.)

You'll need:
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup

• Combine all three in a small bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Spoon the mixture on a piece of wax paper.
• Roll and re-shape back into a stick of butter.
• Twist the ends to secure the wax paper and refrigerate.

In the morning. Blueberry Cornmeal PANCAKES!

You'll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar, plus two tsp for blueberries
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups blueberries
Extra butter for coating griddle
Maple Syrup
(Makes about 16)

• Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Whisk together buttermilk, milk, butter and egg in medium bowl.
• Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined.

• Toss blueberries in a small bowl with 2 tsp sugar.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat. Take extra butter and run over surface of griddle. Repeat as necessary throughout process.

• Pour batter on griddle 1/4 cup at a time.
• Add some of the sugared blueberries to each pancake.
• Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

• Flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.

I started out doing three at a time, but my griddle was not as big as I like.

So I switched to doing one at a a time. Takes a little longer, but the pancakes are prettier.



Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, June 2009. Online version here.

Martha also offers a good tip. As you are making the pancakes. Keep the finished ones on a cookie sheet in the oven at 200 degrees F to keep them warm.

Then, when you're all done.

Stack 'em and slap on some Orange Maple Butter



Oh my! Then pour on the maple syrup.

Wait for it…




Wait for it…




Aaaaahhhhhh…



… that's better.



Then dig in.



You'll be glad you did.

Triple Chocolate Trifle

Or more appropriately… How to Make the Best of a Messed Up Cake.

This dessert comes courtesy of my sister. She wanted to bake a cake for me - chocolate of course with chocolate chips - and was already to decorate it and surprise me. One problem. The cake stuck to the pan and fell to pieces when she tried to take it out.

Now, if it were me, I would have just made some cake balls out of it. But being the creative one that she is, she turned her mess into a masterpiece.

I don't have her cake recipe, but here's what you do.

1. Accidentally mess up your cake on purpose by mistake
2. Whip up some chocolate pudding
3. Layer it all in a trifle dish with some cool whip and refrigerate.

… and in the words of Tim Gunn… "Make it Work."



If she hadn't told me it was a mistake, I never would have known.

Actually, there was only one problem with this cold, creamy, cakelicious dessert. It was way too easy to eat. Let's just say, I wish I had a bigger spoon.

Where I Shop, Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, I took you on a fun photo tour of Cake Art Party Store (cakeart.com) – a great little cake supply place I visit often. But, what I didn't show you is all the candy making supplies they have. I've bought lots of stuff from them to make cake pops. Most importantly… candy melts. What would I do without these things. They come in 1 lb. bags of dark and milk chocolate as well as tons of colors…



… and flavors. Did you know these things come in peanut butter? They also have some mint flavored ones if you like.



Now, if the 1 lb. bags aren't enough for you, then throw a couple of these five pounders over your shoulder. FYI, these are superwhite vanilla coatings, not to be confused with white. Same thing, only brighter. And, if you buy a bunch of white candy melts, then you might even want to try tinting your own. It's really easy.



Just add a few drops of this stuff to the melted candy coating and color away. Make sure it says candy color, though. Regular food coloring contains water and will mess your chocolate up. I mean it.



100% Cocoa Butter. If I actually knew what I was doing, I would tell you all about how to use this stuff. But, I don't. The only thing I use cocoa butter on is a sunburn. Besides, it was sitting right next to the candy colors, so I took a picture of it for you.



Gigantic caramel chunks anyone? I've never used these, but they definitely catch my eye every time I walk down the candy aisle to get lollipop sticks. Actually, my mouth is stuck together right now just thinking about them.



Ahhhh, sticks! Thank you. Fat ones, skinny ones, paper ones, wood ones, short ones…



… and long ones!



Or if you're afraid of being stickless… bulk ones.



Of course, you'll want something to stick them in to let your cake pops dry. Styrofoam works great.



These are the medium peanut butter cup molds I use to make the Cupcake Bites. But, don't let these limit you…



Check out the endless variety of candy molds. They have them for just about anything. Any occasion, hobby or interest you can think of.



I'm waiting for when I can use these.

You can really get creative with the molds. Fill them with solid chocolate or add flavored fillings.



Using squeeze bottles makes it easier to pour chocolate into the molds.



And you can use brushes to paint on the molds with different layers of colored candy melts.



These are candy writers. They are really handy when you just need a little color and quick.

Just place the tube in a bowl of hot water to melt the candy and it's ready to use.

They come individually in several different colors.



Or try out the box set.



Oils. Need some banana cream flavored chocolate? Bubble Gum? Cranberry? How about root beer or mango?

I've used the orange flavor before when I made these orange-colored cake pops. The oils are super-strength and pack a bigger punch than normal extracts - so, you'll just need a few drops.




A lot of people have asked how to make their chocolate thinner. These paramount crystals do the trick. Just add a few pieces at a time to the melted candy coating and stir until they completely disappear. But, you can also use regular old shortening.



Miniature cutters. These are an alternative to the ones I use from Williams-Sonoma to make Cupcake Pops. The flower cutter on the left is the one you want. It comes in this Ateco set #4848.



Cello bags. These have a bronze/brown tint and they come in lots of sizes. I usually just use small clear plastic treat bags for the pops, though.



Look at these. I've never really paid much attention to these foil candy wrappers. I don't know why. Probably because there's just too much stuff to look at in this store. But, I definitely want to try them out soon. I'm thinking turquoise! No purple!


You could wrap some cake balls in foil and then place them in little candy cups. How cute!
Seriously… rock them Roche-Ferrero style.



Or you could place them in truffle boxes. I love boxes. Especially little ones.



More boxes.



I saved my favorite for last. Americolor edible ink pens. These have made cake pop decorating so much more fun for me. I started out buying these black ones. They come as a 2 pack. I've used them to draw eyes and smiles for cake pop faces and also on fondant covered cupcakes.



After buying the black ones over and over, I finally gave in and bought the full set of ten colors. The day I took these pictures they were sold out. Gone. MIA. Sorry.

But you're in luck.

Since then, I've been back and snagged a couple of sets.

And I'm putting them up for grabs. Yay! Here's what they look like.



Don't worry. These are mine. I wouldn't give you opened ones.

Here's a few examples of how I've used them in the past.



And, here are the new ones I am giving away to two lucky winners.

Enter for a chance to win:
A set of Americolor edible ink pens in assorted colors

• Just leave a comment on this post and let me know how you would try them out. Cake pops? Cupcakes? Sugar cookies? Potato Chips? Whatever.
  
• Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
• Deadline to enter is Monday, June 22nd at 6 p.m. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment) TIME'S UP - WINNERS BELOW!
  
• Two winners will be chosen at random* and announced Monday evening on this post.

Good luck!

* using the Random.org integer generator


And the winners are…
Comment #188 - Brittney
Comment #2153 - Jodi
Yay! I hope you have as much fun with the pens as I have. And I want to see pics of your work!

Fast Food Fun

Cupcake Buns + Brownie Burgers + Cookie Fries = One Happy Meal!

Or many…



I can hardly stand how cute these little guys are. You've probably seen them around before. I know I have. Cupcakes Take The Cake has featured cute ones. But, they are even cuter in person as I discovered this weekend. Oh my gawd… they just make me want to smile. I switched mine up a little by doing the burger out of brownies. But, you can just as easily make chocolate cupcakes and cut them in thirds to use instead. And if you want more realistic lettuce, tint some coconut (yuck) green.

I really decided to make these when I thought about making a meal out of them for Father's Day, complete with sugar cookie french fries. I wasn't sure if they would turn out, but I am so thrilled with the end result. Actually, I think the fries might be my favorite part.

Before I started baking, I made a template for a miniature paper box tray and french fry holder. You can download the 4-page pdf (636 KB) here if you want it. The pdf contains the tray template, french fry holder template (blank & with Happy Father's Day). It also includes the design for the Happy Father's Day tissue paper.



I printed the tray template on card stock (heavier weight paper), the french fry template on vellum (semi-transparent paper) and the tissue insert on tracing paper (really thin paper from Canson Art pad).

All three paper weights went through my printer fine - one sheet at a time to be safe. But, if you're unsure about running the tracing paper through your printer, then just use regular plain white tissue paper.

Cut out the shapes as shown in the picture above with scissors or a sharp blade. Then fold along all the printed lines. Use double-sided tape to secure the flaps. Cut the tissue paper in half and place in the tray print side down.

Now, for the baking. Keeping with the fast food fun theme, I went all mixes on these. That's right. I said mixes. For the cookies, brownies and the cupcakes. Don't cringe.

You know I love learning to bake new things from scratch because it's really empowering and satisfying and it usually tastes better, too. But, before a couple of years ago, I did all my baking from a box and really don't have a problem using a mix. There, I said it. I feel better now.



So, I picked up several kinds.

The brownies baked first in a 13 X 9 pan. You don't need any help there.

The cookies came next. I wanted to do rolled sugar cookies and luckily Mrs. Crocker offered some tips on how to convert the mix for better results.



Except I didn't do the whole floured surface thing. I used parchment paper underneath and on top of the dough. Then I rolled it out with a rolling pin using rubber band spacers attached to ensure an even thickness. This is a really handy trick and so not messy. I got these tips from the book, Cookie Craft. If you want to learn more about rolled sugar cookies, it's great.



See… perfectly even dough and a clean surface.

Here's where I started experimenting, but it worked out pretty well.



Cut the dough in thin strips with a sharp knife and then a long cut down the center. The varied lengths are fine because you don't want all your french fries exactly the same size. Remove the alternating strips so it won't bake into one giant blob. (Reserve dough strips and repeat) Sprinkle sugar on top of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

These spread more than I had hoped they would for rolled sugar cookies. I know. I know. The mix thing. But, no problem. Just take your knife and cut each "steak fry" down the center for "skinny fries." Do this right when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle more sugar on top while they are still warm, too. Lightly rub it on to make sure it sticks good.

And voila……



A big pile of fries. Yum! Try not to eat too many before you serve them. You can't eat just one. Trust me.

Next up… cupcakes. I made these the next morning to spread out the work.

Boxes, brownies, and fries on one day. Cupcakes and decorating the next.



I baked 24 cupcakes using a yellow cake mix. I also exchanged 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the water. It made them nice and yummy. To test, I greased and floured one 12-cup cupcake tray and used Pam on the second. I wanted my buns to have smooth sides, you know. Well, they came out smooth, but also brown.

You can see what's coming.

Yes. Yes. I made 24 more cupcakes. This time I used milk instead of water. No reason. Just to try it.



They were good, too. And this time I used paper liners to ensure the right color cupcake bun.



Now it's time to assemble. Cut each cooled cupcake in half or thirds depending on how tall it is. Cut out 24 circles from the completely cooled brownies and place in between the cupcake bun.
I used my ever so handy graduated circle cutters to do the trick. Size 2" for uniform burgers.

Then… and this might be the most important thing.

Take a break and dispose of the scraps……



… You'll figure something out.

Next up. Frostings.



Divide the canned frosting in three bowls. Two can have equal amounts for the mustard and ketchup. The third - a little more for the lettuce. The colors I used to tint were, Wilton Leaf Green, Wilton Golden Yellow, and Americolor Super Red.



Perty!



To make the red a little deeper, use a tiny bit of violet when you mix. Place each color in a ziploc bag and snip a small tip off one corner.



Gently squeeze out the mustard and ketchup first. Then the lettuce in more of a squiggly design. Place the top of the bun on and press gently.

Now for the finishing touch. Brush a very thin layer of water over the top of the bun or either dab a few drops of water on with your finger. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and they'll stick.

There you have it.



Brownie Burger Cupcakes



And Sugar Cookie French Fries.



A perfectly sweet meal for Dad's day or any day.



And, if you use this template, there's a blank french fry holder in it. Use it and you can serve these for a family cookout or Fourth of July party.



People will go crazy for them, don't you think.



Man, that's one good looking burger. So thick … and…



Tasty, too! Hope you like them.

Now, I'm curious. When it comes to mixes, how do you roll?
Use them? Refuse them? Or improve them?

Lemon Bars and a Little Helper

Sweet squares of sugar and citrus. I love them … especially, when other people make them. Ha. What I mean is, when I think about baking something new, I usually lean towards recipes that include chocolate or either chocolate and sometimes chocolate. But every time I've ever eaten one of these yummy yellow squares, I think why haven't I ever made these things. So I did… kinda.

They're really easy and you don't even have to get out your mixer. First, grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan. I used a glass one. Next, you'll need to make a crust.



For the crust, you'll just need flour, butter and confectioner's sugar. Easy enough.



Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour and 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar. Add 1 cup cold butter.



Then cut in the butter until the mixture is incorporated and crumbly. I used the back of a fork to work the butter into the flour. When it gets crumbly, pour it into your greased and floured pan and press firmly into the bottom. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the crust is baking, you can prepare the lemon topping.



Again, easy ingredients. Flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and lemon juice. Pretend that's freshly squeezed juice from real lemons on the right. I didn't have any on hand.

But before we go on, let me show you my little helper. She always asks to crack the eggs open if she's around when I'm baking. And when she looks at me with those eyes, I'm sure you know the answer.



She's great at it, too. So good, in fact, that I let her finish up the rest of the work.



Slightly beat the four eggs and set aside. Then, measure 1 1/2 cups sugar making sure it exactly meets the line on the measuring cup. She's very precise.



Now you'll need 1/2 cup lemon juice. Right now I wish I had those lemons, so she could experience squeezing the juice out of them. Oh well… moving on. In another large bowl, add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 slightly beaten eggs and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Look at those hands. Steady.



Stir all that together really good.



And then pour it on top of the warm baked crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes.

Remove and cool completely. Sprinkle with extra confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.

Yum! And even better, I still don't have to make them. She can do it for me while I make something chocolatey. Yippee!



Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
• Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
• Press mixture into bottom of pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

• While crust is baking, prepare topping.
• In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
• Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
• Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.
• Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

Cheesecake Pops!

Okay, be honest. How many of you saw this coming? After last week's cheesecake success, It was finally the perfect opportunity to give these little treats a try. The first time I remember seeing them was April, a year ago. I remember because I had not been home long after showing Martha how to make Cupcake Pops. I was looking at some of my favorite blogs and everywhere I looked, I started seeing chocolate covered balls on sticks. I mean everywhere. I was like, holy cow, Martha really has some heavy mojo. Then, I laughed at myself when I realized, Martha and I had nothing to do with it. The pops I was seeing were part of a Daring Bakers Challenge where tons of bloggers tackle a new dessert each month and that month they had coincidentally picked cheesecake pops inspired by the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. Well, I finally saw this book a couple of weeks ago in the bookstore, and I had to immediately have it. Let me just tell you, it is a feast for your sugar-loving eyes. When I flipped through it again last weekend, I was reminded of all those beautiful cheesecake pops and it seemed only natural for me to finally give them a go.

And, it didn't hurt any that I had half a plain jane cheesecake sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be experimented on.



I used a small ice cream scoop and scooped up as many balls as I could, trying not to scrape the graham cracker crust into it. I didn't want it to look ugly, you know. I guess, if I was going to make these on purpose, I would bake my cheesecake in a regular 2-3" high cake pan and not use a crust at all.



I got 12 easy, from half of the cheesecake. I could have probably squeaked out a couple more, but I might have eaten a few sections of cheesecake along the way. Maybe.

I didn't really roll these, but I did kind of shape them a little to make them more round.



And, then because they were lumpier than I am used to with the cake pops, I dropped each one in a small bowl filled with graham cracker crumbs and rolled it around to coat. This helped to shape them better as well.

Then, I popped them in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up. (Maybe about 20-30 min. for these.)

While they were chilling. I heated up some chocolate candy melts in the microwave (30 sec intervals, stirring in between) and got my sticks and decorations ready.



I went with teeny tiny hearts in red, white and pink. A hearts and jimmies mix in red, white pink and brown … and also just some dark chocolate that I chopped up in a mini food processor.

Note: I'm pretty sure a few of you are going to want to know where those baking cups came from. Check out www.confectioneryhouse.com

So, after the balls became firm, I dipped one end of my lollipop stick in some of the melted candy coating and then inserted it into the cheesecake ball. I immediately dunked the pop in a deep bowl of melted candy coating and then sprinkled to decorate. Each one was then placed in a styrofoam block to completely dry. Then, they went in the refrigerator to await their fate.

Note: It will really help if you use a bowl that is deep enough to completely submerge the pop in chocolate and remove in one motion. It also helps if your chocolate is on the thinner side. (You can melt a little shortening in it to thin it out some.) Once, you remove it, carefully tap the excess off while balancing the pop on the stick. You may need to rotate your hand so that gravity keeps the pop in place long enough for the chocolate to start to set around the base. Add the decorations before it sets too much also or they won't stick to the surface. These were slightly harder to manage than the cake pops. One… they were larger and heavier because of using the scooper. Two… the cheesecake texture wasn't as sticky as the cake pop mixture.

But… I think they turned out beautifully.

Let's take a closer look…



A little closer.



Closer.



Whoops, just couldn't resist. YUM-O-RAMA!

So, you say you don't want to do a balancing act to make all these on sticks. Here's another way you can do it. And it's easier.



Take your graham cracker-coated cheesecake ball and drop it in the bowl of melted candy coating.



Don't stir it. Just spoon some chocolate over the top until it is covered. Then, scoop it out with a spoon and tap off some of the excess by tapping the spoon on the side of the bowl. Then, just let it slide right off onto some wax paper. Insert your stick and add any decorations. Told you this was easier. I didn't tap these as much as I do regular cake balls because I was going for the Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey look that Jill O'Connor shows in her book.



Messy looks good, too, don't you think?

If you want to make some Cheesecake Pops … you will need:

Cheesecake (Buy one if you want to get straight to the fun stuff. Shhh… I won't tell. You can also use this recipe.)
Mini ice cream scoop
Chocolate candy melts
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
Wax paper
Dark chocolate, chopped
Graham cracker crumbs
Dipping bowl
Styrofoam block

and…

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey if you want to feast your eyes on more messy yumminess.

You can also check the Google results for the Daring Baker's Cheesecake Pop Challenge and see tons more versions to drool over.

Enjoy!

Just some cute cupcake stuff

I used these cards today and it reminded me of a bunch of cute cupcake stuff that's crossed my path recently. These are letterpress cards from Dingbat Press. If you've been following the site for a while, you'll remember these she made for me a while back. I love letterpress. Love it. It's so substantial and makes writing much more fun. Check out her site and you'll find a ton of other gorgeous designs.

www.dingbatpress.com


Want to see more?

Okeedokey.



See this bag. It's a camera bag that was offered to me by Tracy Joy Designs. She had one cupcake design left and gave it to me for the price of shipping. Now, I usually don't like pattern stuff. I'm a solids kind of girl, but I thought what the heck… that's a pretty good deal… and maybe I'll do a giveaway with it or something.

It arrived the day before I went to Oklahoma to visit the Pioneer Woman and as it would happen, I needed a carry on bag for the flight. How convenient! It was perfect. Lots of pockets for lenses that I used for stuff and a long strap to hang over my shoulder so I could lug two other bags full of cake pop supplies.… Kinda smooshable so I could stuff it under the seat in front of me. Needless to say, I'm not using it for my camera and I'm not giving it away. It's my new travel companion. (sorry)



And, here's the best part - that I didn't even notice until I was on the way home. The flap is removable. You can switch it up with different designs. Cute, huh! I don't think this style is available in her store, but I bet you could do a special order. And if not, she has other cute bags.

www.tracyjoy.com

Oh no. I was wrong. I just went to their site to get the link for you and it turns out they are closing shop. Serves me right for waiting so long to post this. But, the good news is they are having a BIG sale on all their remaining inventory. Maybe you can score a deal.


Now, control yourself. These are really adorable.



Heavy metal cupcake measuring spoons. Look at the inside and the handles. Eeeeeeeek! Keeeeeuuute!



Look at their bottoms. And look at the handles, they have tiny hearts on them.

My new friend, Pioneer Woman Cake Pop Demonstration Winner, and blogger… Starwoodgal, gave them to me. She found them at a charming little store in Arkansas called Signed Sealed Delivered. I looked on their site and couldn't find them, so here's another place to get them.





Recognize these little guys? They're from Cakespy. You know how much I love Cakespy and her L'il Cuppie character. I have several of her paintings and now I can spread the sweetness with these little cute note cards. She also has buttons, magnets and a bunch of fun paintings.

Cakespy Shop





How could you be blue with this hanging around your neck. I bought this vintage necklace with plastic cupcake pendant recently from Very Happy Everything. They just got started on etsy, but have tons of cute necklaces. I'll warn you, though. You need to have a little whimsy in your bones for some of the designs… like the Hammerhead sharks with bow ties. Oh, to be in their brain for a few minutes.

Very Happy Everything





Crocheted cupcakes! A reader sent me these the other day. Hi Jackie from New York. How are you? Thank you so much for these and all the time it took to make them. I've never crocheted anything, so I have to say, I'm super-impressed.





Cupcake Pops! Nope. They're actually cupcake soaps on sticks. LoveLeeSoaps gave me these. They look pretty real, huh? You should see some of the other stuff she makes. It's all crazy cute! I promise.

LoveLeeSoaps





I also found this in my pantry today. Sprinkles cupcake mix. Sprinkles was very thoughtful to start selling a mix version of their fabulous cupcakes at Williams-Sonoma. Especially since I have been waiting FOREVER for them to open a store anywhere within a day's drive from me. I had the real things once, and I've been thinking about them ever since.

But, here's the problem with this mix and things like it. If you notice the expiration date on the right, you'll see that I've had it for quite a while… way before that date even. It's a quirk of mine. I find it extremely difficult to open cute packaging. I would rather just look at it contained, than open it. Quirky, right?

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix



Here's another example of really cute packaging from Chronicle Books. Take a look at this Cupcake Kit! It's so cute, I haven't even opened the box to hold and look at all the fun stuff inside.

But, guess what?! I have two of them.

So, maybe you can help me out. If I give one away, will you open it and tell me how fun everything inside is?

Please, because I'm going to put the other one on a shelf and stare at it.

Okay, it's settled. One of these kits is up for grabs. But which one of you wants it? Let me know.

Enter for a chance to win:
A Cupcake Kit

• Just leave a comment on this post and let me if you want to tear into this box. Easy.
• Leave your comment with a way for me to contact you if you win (either a blog link or email)
• Deadline to enter is Friday, May 29th at 9 p.m. Sorry, Time's Up! Winner below. (recorded by the time stamp of your comment)
• One winner will be chosen at random* and announced sometime Saturday morning on this post.

* One winner will be chosen at random, using random.org's integer generator.


Time to reveal the winner.

It's…


It's…


It's comment number…


1,132

Congratulations eRika! The goodies will be in your hands soon. I hope you have fun with it.

Now, guess what?! I've decided to go ahead and give the second one away also. That's right. Two winners. Why? Because you guys are always so great and I know I will just be staring at mine on the shelf. I think I would feel guilty knowing how badly so many of you wanted one.

And the second winner is comment number 40. Ooooh, a low number this time. Who's it gonna be?
Jenni, of course. And, I'd love to see any results from your new cupcake kit.

Thanks everyone who entered and graciously agreed to tear into this box for me. Some of you even have the same packaging problem as I do. (Yay, I'm not alone.) And, some of you… well, let's just say I wouldn't want to come between you and any sort of wrapped gift. But, it would be fun to watch. There were a total of exactly 2,800 entries for this giveaway and it was one I really enjoyed reading. Made me laugh, smile and wish I had even more kits to give. And Carissa, even though you didn't win, and you were "number two-thousand-four hundred and fifty," I did read your comment. Hi!

Cheesecake!

Need a fork? Or maybe a shovel. This is one ginormous piece of cheesecake. And oh boy, was it good. The cheesecake, that is. Personally, I can do without a bunch of fru fru when it comes to cheesecake. But, I wanted to dress a slice up and make it all pretty for you. This one is topped with raspberry, whipped cream, and white chocolate. It's also the first real grown-up cheesecake I think I've ever made. Yay me! (Anyone else, hear London Tipton in their head when they read that? If you didn't, don't worry, that means the Disney Channel hasn't infiltrated your brain.)

The only other kind of cheesecake I've made are these itsy-bitsy mini ones. Take a look. You'll love how easy they are.

Anyway, when it comes to cheesecake, this is how I like mine.



Plain. Jane. No whipped cream. No whole fruit. Ever. Just dense and delicious. But, on occasion, I don't mind a little raspberry sauce to touch it. I actually don't mind fruit flavors at all. I just won't eat the actual fruit. For instance, on these itsy bitsy mini ones. The cherries had to go. Cherry sauce… fine. Cherries… trash can. I know. I'm weird like that.

But, not totally weird. I do like other cheesecake flavors, like Oreo, chocolate, of course, and just about every other combination from the Cheesecake Factory - as long as it's served without whipped cream or whole fruit. But, I usually gravitate towards the classic… and then I hope someone else orders a different flavor so I can try it.

And now that I've had success, I may just have to do some more experimenting on my own. This was really so easy, I don't know why I've been hesitant to try making one for so long.



Start with the crust. Graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter mixed together.



Then press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan.



Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, flour, and lemon juice. Dump it in.

And in a little over an hour, voila…



… cheesecake!

Now, it wasn't perfect. It did have a crack going through the middle. From what I understand, this can be a common annoyance. You can see a hint of it to the right in this photo. But, that's ok. You can cover stuff up like that with a sauce, or chocolate, or caramel and nuts, or (gags) whipped cream. Or just go ahead and slice the cheesecake, avoiding any defect.

For the raspberry sauce, I just used some jelly and heated it up until it was thin enough to spread on in a thin layer. Easy!

Here's the entire recipe if you want to give it a go.

Cheesecake

2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

4 (8oz.) packages cream cheese
1.5 cups sugar
3 Tbsp flour
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Optional:
raspberry jelly
fresh raspberries
1 cup heavy whipping cream + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
white chocolate

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
• Stir in melted butter until moistened.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan (3 inches tall). Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
• Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.

• To make the cheesecake filling, cream the sugar, cream cheese and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
• On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
• On low, add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla just until combined.
• Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325.
• Make sure to take it out of the oven before the center looks done. It will be kind of wobbly and it will move in one piece. The center will look more shiny than the edges. That's ok because it will continue to cook a little while it's in the pan.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temperature.
• Hope that it doesn't crack.
• Go ahead and separate the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a knife around the edges. I also opened and reclosed the springform pan to help separate.
• Chill in the refrigerator overnight. That's right. It's best to make this the day before because it needs plenty of time to chill and firm up.
  

• Before serving: Heat up some raspberry jelly on low heat until the consistency is thin. Spread on top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate while you do the following.
• Melt some white chocolate and put it in a ziploc bag or squeeze bottle. Draw abstract (see first photo) shapes on wax paper and let dry.
• Pour some heavy whipping cream in a small chilled metal bowl. Add 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and beat the cream on high until it becomes firm and thick.
• Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and spoon on whipped cream or use a decorating bag with a 1M tip to decorate.
• Top with fresh raspberries and white chocolate decorations.
  

Enjoy!


Now, before I let you go, I'm curious. How do you roll?
Plain Jane or Fancy Shmancy?



Or somewhere in between?