They're Poppin' Up All Over!

The Cupcake Pops I made last month on the Martha Stewart Show are a hit. From Oklahoma to England, Bakerellas all over are making their cupcakes pop and making me smile. It's been really rewarding to see a little idea I tried out in my kitchen pop up all over the nation. So here are a few cake pops and bites that I've come across and wanted to share. I think they all did a FANTABULOUS job! And, If you have a minute for some sweet stuff, click on the arrow below.



And here are links to their posts so you can tell them what a great job they did.

Arizona
Breanna - Cupcake Pops
She'sGotItAll.net - They're lots of work... but worth it!

California
Daiana - Baking Friday
Jennifer - Marshmallow Pops
Lisa - Blogless, but talented
Rhonda - On flickr
Shavon - Hostess Cupcake Seeds

Colorado
Kerry - Blogless, but talented!

Georgia
Jessica - On flickr

Illinois
Kari - More Cake Pops

Indiana
Beckie - My Special Day
Lynn - On flickr

Iowa
Libby - Covered In Sprinkles

New Jersey
Cheryl - Cupcake Truffle Pops

New York
Shelby - Cakes Are Poppin'

Oklahoma
Nina - Teeny Tiny Cupcakes

Pennsylvania
Carrie - On flickr

Texas
Laura - Start Baking Continuation

Virginia
Mandy - Bakerella I'm Not! (Mandy… don't say that)

Washington
Julia - I Heart Bakerella's Cupcake Lollipops
Tracey - But Weight, I Can Eat It!

Canada
Ms. P - Been Long Time

England
Charlotte - I Did It!
Rehana - On flickr


And, hey, if you've made these too, leave a link to your post or pics with your first name and state (or country if outside the US). I might just do a sequel.

Can you draw as good as a six-year-old?

Sure you can - and impress your kids at the same time.



This was my first attempt at a multi-tiered cake. And of course, I went mini. I used a 6" inch pan, a 5" pan and a ramekin dish for the top. The cake was made from this recipe. It was ok, but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect, easy, moist, delicious, no-fail, homemade, yellow cake recipe. (That's not too much to ask for, is it?)

So, now that I had cake, I needed to decorate. (Here's where your kids come in.) I used some more of my niece's artwork as inspiration.



I used the same candy technique I showed you recently and it worked beautifully for her butterflies. But instead of using the candy melts and squeeze bottles, I used candy writers. Yep, I said candy writers. First an edible ink pen and now squeezable colored chocolate. These were perfect because I just needed a little of each color and didn't really want to go to the trouble of melting bowls of chocolate. They're really easy to use and no mess to clean up. You just rest them in a bowl of hot water and use your hands to knead until ready. For the rest of the cake, I just colored buttercream frosting to match the colors in her drawing.



When my niece came over, she recognized her drawing right away and was so excited to see her art in icing. Yay, success! So get those pics off the fridge and make an edible, adorable memory.



These can help you:
Candy Writers
6 inch Cake Pan
Ramekins
Multi-Tier Cake Pan Set (This would have been handy)
Wilton Icing Colors (To color your frosting)

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1b. 10X powdered sugar
1-3 teaspoons milk, half and half or cream

1. Using a mixer, cream softened butter and vanilla with a mixer until smooth.
2. Add sugar gradually, allowing butter and sugar to cream together before adding more.
3. If you want it a little creamier, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and beat on high until you get the right texture.

Cakespy thanked me for my thank you!

There's a whole lot of thanking going on and I love it! This won't mean as much to you as it does me, but it just made me laugh out loud and I had to share. In March, I made a little "thank you" movie for my favorite cupcake cartoonist, Cakespy. Well, she decided to return the favor and just one-upped me with this super-cute movie poster inspired by the movie, Barbarella. And, she's sending me the original, too! I think I look pretty cute as a whisk-wielding cupcake. This is so going in my kitchen.

For more out of this world cupcake cuteness, visit Cakespy.

And one more time… thank you!

Hello, Cupcake Giveaway!

You guys have been so sweet and encouraging and you put a smile on my face everyday. So here's a little fun to show my appreciation. I'm having a double, that's right, I said DOUBLE Giveaway.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN WIN:
One lucky winner will receive a copy of the book, Hello, Cupcake, courtesy of Houghton-Mifflin Books at Yummr (a community of people passionate about food and a place to share food-related experiences, recipes, reviews, photos, and videos.) This book is as cute as cute gets. Lots of great ideas that I wish I had thought of. And don't worry, if you don't win it here, you still have a shot. Yummr is having a "Cookbook a Day in the Month of May" Giveaway. You can visit Yummr to learn more.

Another lucky winner will receive a cupcake t-shirt from me at bakelove.com.



HOW TO ENTER: It's easy! Just leave your response to the following cupcake question in the comments section. (with an email or website link so I can contact you if you win).



Cutoff for comments is midnight, May 31st, 2008. I'll announce the winners (picked at random) sometime on June 1. Good Luck!

Hey Mom, I got a tattoo……

…… a tattoo cupcake just for you! I love you with all my heart.

Cupcake Bites Made Easy!

Okay, I think you guys will love this. But hate that I don't have better pictures to show you. This is for anyone who wanted to make the Cupcake Pops but didn't feel up to the task. They are based on the Red Velvet Cake Balls I've made before. These Cupcake Bites are just as cute and don't need a cookie cutter to shape. But you will need a candy mold. They are easy to find though. As a matter of fact, here's a link. So instead of lollipop sticks, you can package them in little boxes and wrap with ribbon.

So, if you're a first-time cake baller/cupcake popper, you may want to start with a cake mix and ready-made frosting. (These proportions work right for me everytime.) Then, you can try with your favorite cake and frosting recipe once you see how the proportions and texture should come out. Here's what you do:

Easy Cupcake Bites
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (or candy melts for cupcake bottom)
Colored Candy Melts (for cupcake top)
Candy Cup Mold
Sprinkles and m&ms for decoration

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. (The texture should be fine/fluffy)
2. Using the back of a large spoon, mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls (make sure they are smaller in diameter than that of your candy mold) and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Chill in the freezer for a few minutes, until they are slightly firm, not frozen.
5. Melt chocolate bark and candy melts in microwave per directions on package.
6. Using a spoon or squeeze bottle, fill each mold cavity with a small amount of chocolate. Sorry, I didn't think to measure how much. But as soon as you fill the cavity, go ahead and place one of your rolled balls into it. Carefully push it down until the force causes the chocolate to push up and fill in around the sides of the ball. You may have to experiment with a couple to get the right amount. Stop pushing once the chocolate reaches the top edge.
7. Place the mold tray filled with cupcakes in the freezer for just a few minutes to let the chocolate set. Remove and then gently pull up on the cake ball top to release from candy mold.
8. Now, holding the bottom of the cupcake, dip the top in another color of melted chocolate.
9. Decorate.
10. And, probably impress your friends and family.

Makes about 50. Store in an airtight container and they will last for several days.

This Takes the Cake!

When I made these Garfield cupcakes the other day, I never expected the people at Garfield to see them, and I definitely didn't expect to be mentioned on their website. I feel like a kid again. Just like I did when I received that first letter from Jim Davis almost 25 years ago. Thanks Jim and everyone at Paws, Inc.!

Wow Your Mom on Mother's Day!

Can't decide on flowers or candy? Then give your mom both - and some cupcakes to boot.

These cute candy flowers were inspired by fellow flickr user mommawants1more. She does a great job with this creative candy technique. Then I also found this decorating style featured in the book, The Whimsical Bakehouse, and saw how easy it was to do using colored candy melts. And you know, I have my fair share of those laying around the kitchen lately. So you guessed it, I started melting. Read below to see how you can do it too.



Find a design you want to use or draw it by hand for a more whimsical feel.
Place the drawing on a cookie sheet and cover with wax paper. Tape it down flat so it doesn't move. Use one unmelted yellow candy melt for each flower center.



Melt the white candy coating and use a plastic bottle (shown) or ziploc bag with the corner cut out to pipe the outline of your shape. Place in the freezer for a couple of minutes until hardened. Remove.



Fill in the shapes with a second color. It shouldn't be too hot. (or too hard… my niece even helped me with this.)



Return to freezer to harden. Remove and flip over to reveal the flat side to display on your cupcakes. Easy!



And if you want to make some letters, that's easy too! Use an alphabet mold and fill shape with melted candy. Freeze for a few minutes and then, pop them out.





Perfect!

You'll need:
Frosted Cupcakes
Squeeze Bottle or Ziploc Bag
Cookie Sheet with Wax Paper (taped flat)
Colored Candy Melts
… and a steady hand

Here's three brands of candy melts:
Make 'n Mold Candy Melts
Mercken's Candy Coatings
Wilton Candy Melts

Here's some fun stuff if you're up for it:
Alphabet Candy Molds
The Whimsical Bakehouse (shows some examples and instruction on how to use this technique.)

And if you're not up to the challenge:
Visit Sugar Coated Love and maybe mommawants1more can make some for you.